IBA, an aviation market intelligence and consultancy company, has predicted that global passenger Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs) will surpass 2019 levels in November 2023. In October, the company’s data indicated that all markets apart from Europe and Asia Pacific were trending at or above pre-pandemic capacity.
Key findings from IBA’s aviation data showed that:
- Monthly global passenger capacity edged closer to a full recovery in October 2023, reaching 99% of pre-pandemic ASKs. This reflects a gain of +1% compared to September 2023.
- Passenger ASKs from Chinese operators were trending 4% below 2019 levels during October 2023.
- Commercial passenger flights continued to increase in October 2023, with approximately 2.90 million, compared to 2.88 million in September 2023 and 2.42 million in October 2022.
- For Chinese operators, 437,000 commercial passenger flights were recorded in October 2023, compared to 434,000 in September 2023 and 161,000 in October 2022.
- There were 103 commercial aircraft deliveries in October 2023, representing a month-on-month and year-on-year variance of 8% and 1%, respectively.
- So far during 2023, Airbus A320neo deliveries have averaged 45 per month, compared to Boeing’s 737 MAX at 30 per month.