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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced continued strong passenger traffic demand in April.Total traffic in April 2023 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 45.8% compared to April 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 90.5% of pre-Covid levels. At 81.3%, industry load factor was only 1.8 percentage points below pre-pandemic level.
Domestic traffic for April rose 42.6% compared to the year-ago period and has now fully recovered, posting a 2.9% increase over the April 2019 results.
International traffic climbed 48.0% versus April 2022 with all markets recording healthy growth, with carriers in the Asia-Pacific region continuing to lead the recovery. International RPKs reached 83.6% of April 2019 levels.
“April continued the strong traffic trend we saw in the 2023 first quarter. The easing of inflation and rising consumer confidence in most OECD countries combined with declining jet fuel prices, suggests sustained strong air travel demand and moderating cost pressures,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
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Asia-Pacific airlines saw a 192.7% increase in April 2023 traffic compared to April 2022. Capacity climbed 145.3% and the load factor increased by 13.2 percentage points to 81.6%.
European carriers had a 22.6% traffic rise versus April 2022. Capacity rose 16.0%, and load factor climbed 4.5 percentage points to 83.3%, which was the second highest among the regions.
Middle Eastern airlines posted a 38.0% traffic increase compared to April a year ago. Capacity climbed 27.8% and load factor rose 5.6 percentage points to 76.2%.
North American carriers’ traffic climbed 34.8% in April 2023 versus the 2022 period. Capacity increased 26.5%, and load factor rose 5.2 percentage points to 83.8%, which was the highest among the regions. North American international traffic is now fully recovered, with RPKs 0.4% above April 2019 levels.
Latin American airlines saw a 25.8% traffic increase compared to the same month in 2022. April capacity climbed 26.4% and load factor slipped 0.4 percentage points to 83.1%.
African airlines’ traffic rose 53.5% in April 2023 versus a year ago, the second highest among the regions. April capacity was up 50.0% and load factor climbed 1.6 percentage points to 69.8%, lowest among the regions.

The Bottom Line
“Heading into the Northern Hemisphere peak travel season, aircraft and airports are full of people eager to make use of their travel freedoms. Airlines are working hard to accommodate them with a smooth travel experience despite continuing supply chain shortages and other operational challenges. Sadly, some governments appear more keen on punitive regulation than on doing their part to enable hassle-free travel.
The Dutch Government’s high-handed effort to slash capacity at Schiphol airport is a prime example. And then we have a focus on EU-style passenger rights regulation that is spreading like a contagion. Proponents of this approach miss a key fact. EU 261 has not led to a reduction in delays. That’s because penalizing airlines raises airline costs but does not address delays caused by factors over which airlines have no control, such as inefficient air traffic management or staffing shortages at air navigation service providers. The single best thing that Europe could do to improve the travel experience is deliver the Single European Sky. As for other governments contemplating passenger rights regulations, avoiding a repeat of Europe’s mistake would be a helpful starting point.
“In just a few days, leaders of the global aviation community will gather in Istanbul at the 79th IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit. Regulation and other key issues, including the critical topic of sustainability, will be on the agenda,” said Walsh.

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A recent study showed the number of 2022 air passengers increased by roughly 47 per cent compared to the previous year. This is great news for airlines, whose bottom line deteriorated during global lockdowns and pandemic restrictions.
Many are now upping the ante on their loyalty programmes to attract a wider range of clientele — even those who aren’t regular travellers — and to supply winning, timely experiences that consumers now expect.
Leading business travel management company Good Travel Management has provided some destination inspiration by ranking global airlines in order of their best customer loyalty schemes.
To accomplish this, it standardized the latest available data for each loyalty scheme in relevant categories like ‘average monthly Google searches’, ‘points expiry’, ‘lounge reviews’ and ‘minimum leg room’ to rank major airline schemes around the world out of ten.
The top ten best global airline loyalty schemesADVERTISEMENT
Of the 59 loyalty schemes analysed MileagePlus with United Airlines is in first position with an overall score of 7.85/10. Despite, its recent price increases on all tickets to Europe, MileagePlus still has a plethora of ways to earn and redeem miles for the best value, of all the airlines studied. It has over 100 million members and is well-known for its lucrative travel credit card offers.
MileagePlus has the highest positive score for points expiry (10), with points on the scheme having no expiry date.
It also receives a near perfect score for the number of destinations (9.75) it flies to, which is 342. It has one of the highest scores for legroom as well, with passengers being treated to a generous 75 inches to stretch their legs during a long-haul flight (9.22).
In second position is Aeroplan with Air Canada (6.53). It regularly offers unique ways for members to earn points, with the company’s latest partnership enabling members to earn points by linking their account with their Uber/Uber Eats account in Canada.
The Aeroplan loyalty programme also recently had the best showing in its history at the 32nd annual Freddie Awards, as it was named Airline Programme of the Year, and won Best Promotion and Best Redemption Ability.
In Good Travel Management’s study, it has one of the highest global average monthly Google search volume scores of all the airlines studied (8.18), with over 368,000 monthly searches.
It also has positive scores for lounge reviews (7) and provides the same generous leg room as MileagePlus. However, it misses out on the top spot due to a low points expiry (0.25) timeframe of only 18 months, and a lower number of destination options (222 in total).
Completing the top three best programmes is Miles & Smiles with Turkish Airlines (6.23). It has the best lounge review score of the top three airlines (8.57) but loses points because of its limited points expiry of only 36 months. It has significantly less leg room than the top two airlines (6.27), of 60 inches.
The loyalty programme with the poorest rating is Free Spirit (0.73) with Spirit Airlines. This might not come as a surprise as a recent survey asked which major U.S.-based carriers Americans would avoid flying with. Spirit Airlines had the dubious honour of finishing first with 21 percent of the votes. Spirit was also voted lowest in passenger satisfaction in the 2023 American Customer Satisfaction Index.
Free Spirit receives low scores in all categories, with the poorest being 0 for the points expiry category, as they are only valid for 12 months. It also only receives a score of 1.2 out of 5 for its airline Trustpilot score and flies to just 83 destinations.
Volare (0.86) with ITA Airways and myFrontier (0.88) with Frontier Airlines complete the bottom three.
Richard Quelch, Group CMO of Good Travel Management commented on the findings:
“It is positive to see the travel industry starting to recover from the impact of the global pandemic and interesting to observe what airlines are offering to entice more members to join their loyalty schemes.
“We hope to see lots of exciting innovations and extras added to these programmes in the coming months, which will hopefully make flying even more memorable and pleasurable for travellers, whether they are on a business trip or heading off on vacation.”
You can see the full findings from the study here.  https://blog.good-travel.co.uk/the-best-airline-loyalty-programmes

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ITA Airways, Italy’s national carrier, has taken delivery of its first A330-900, on lease from Air Lease Corporation (ALC) (NYSE: AL), during a ceremony held in Toulouse. The A330neo will join the ITA Airways fleet in June to serve its long-haul routes and new intercontinental destinations.
The A330neo is the latest-generation aircraft type from Airbus to join the ITA Airways’ fleet. The airline already operates all Airbus aircraft Families with a fleet of 68 Airbus aircraft (4 A220s, 50 A320 Family, 8 A330-200s and 6 A350-900s). By selecting A330neos, ITA Airways is further consolidating its strategy of being an all Airbus operator and leveraging new levels of efficiency and flexibility.
With the introduction of the latest generation eco-efficient A330neo, ITA Airways continues its fleet modernisation to meet its ambitious sustainability targets. To further support this ambition the delivery flight will be powered by a 16% blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The A330neo delivers unbeatable operating economics and boasts an award-winning Airspace cabin with more passenger space, a new lighting system, the latest in-flight entertainment systems and full connectivity throughout the cabin.
ITA Airways’s A330neo named Gelindo Bordin, to commemorate the Italian Olympic marathon champion, will feature a three-class cabin layout designed by renowned designer Walter De Silva. It’ll feature 30 full lie-flat bed business class seats, 24 premium and 237 latest generation economy class seats of which, 36 are dedicated to comfort economy. All seats will be equipped with on demand video and audio content as well as full WiFi connectivity and highly customisable mood lighting throughout the cabin.ADVERTISEMENTThe A330neo is the new-generation version of the popular A330 widebody. Incorporating the latest-generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, new wings and a range of aerodynamic innovations, the aircraft offers a 25 percent reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The A330-900 is capable of flying 7,200 nm / 13,334 km non-stop.
At the end of April, the A330 Family had registered a total of over 1 775 firm orders of which 289 are A330neos from 25 customers. To date, 100 A330neos have been delivered globally.
@Airbus @ITAAirways #A330neo

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A4A projects U.S. airlines to carry an all-time high 257 million passengers from June 1-August 31, 2023. Despite having to trim schedules, U.S. airlines will be able to accommodate demand by using larger aircraft. In fact, year over year, U.S. airlines are adding 297,000 seats per day to accommodate 243,000 more passengers per day.
“U.S. airlines have been hiring aggressively for positions across the industry. We now have the most workers we’ve had in 20 years. Airlines also are reducing their flight schedules to accommodate current realities, including the FAA’s air traffic controller staffing shortages,” said Nicholas E. Calio, A4A President and CEO. “It has been said time and time again that the U.S. is the gold standard for aviation safety. We take pride in that, and we work hard at that every single day. It takes collaboration throughout the National Airspace System to maintain that safety record. Simply put, safety is—and always will be—our top priority.”
A4A Vice President and Chief Economist John Heimlich presented a summer outlook, followed by a panel discussion between A4A Senior Vice President of Legislative and Regulatory Policy Sharon Pinkerton, former NATCA president Paul Rinaldi and TSA Assistant Administrator for Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Alexa Lopez. The panel was moderated by CQ Roll Call congressional reporter Valerie Yurk.
“Airlines are doing everything they can to prepare for this peak season,” said Heimlich. “Roughly 487,000 full-time equivalent workers at U.S passenger airlines. That number is definitely above the pre-pandemic level. It is also the highest number since October 2001.”
“We want this summer to be a summer in which we are achieving our best operational reliability. It’s in our interest to make sure that our customers are treated right and have a good experience because we compete for their repeat business. I think we’ve gone above and beyond to make sure we are ready for the summer demand,” said Pinkerton. “I don’t necessarily think pulling down flights is a sustainable approach for the long term.”ADVERTISEMENT“As we look at FAA reauthorization, we don’t want another five years of being stagnant or losing ground. We want to be bold. We need to understand what’s going on with our aviation system,” said Rinaldi.  “As you hear, the airlines are cutting back their flights. We should be growing aviation in this country—it’s such an economic engine—we shouldn’t be reducing aviation.”
“TSA is definitely prepared,” said Lopez. “Last weekend, we hit a record, screening the highest number of passengers screened since the beginning of the pandemic, and we expect this summer to be our busiest. Our staffing levels are much better thanks to finally securing better pay for all TSA employees.”

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The New Terminal One (NTO)– a consortium of labor, operating and financial partners building the new world-class terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)– today announced a new partnership with Korean Air. The Skytrax five-star airline currently offers premium services with two daily direct flights between Seoul and New York. This partnership enables Korean Air to provide its passengers with a transformed premium in-terminal experience to match its award-winning in-flight service. Korean Air currently operates at the existing Terminal 1 and will have a seamless transition to the New Terminal One once the terminal is complete and operational.
“We are excited to announce this strategic partnership between New Terminal One with one of the top airlines in the world,” Dr. Gerrard P. Bushell, President and CEO of The New Terminal One at JFK. “At the unparalleled world-class terminal we are building here at JFK, we look forward to working together to connect passengers between the Americas and Asia for years to come.”
“Korean Air is proud to be a partner with what will be one of the premier gateways to the United States,” said Jin Ho Lee, Senior Vice President and Director of Korean Air Americas Regional Headquarters. “Working together with New Terminal One, we aim to continue to give our customers traveling through JFK the ultimate travel experience.”
The new airline agreement adds to the successful portfolio of first-class international carriers that have signed on with NTO, including Air France-KLM, Etihad Airways and LOT Polish Airlines, as the new terminal continues to welcome the international airline community.
The New Terminal One celebrated its groundbreaking event this past September and is currently in the midst of the first phase of construction. With 23 gates, the brand-new facility will serve as a global gateway to the New York metropolitan area and set a new standard for world-class design and service through innovative stress-free passenger processing, immersive retail and dining experiences, and an iconic architecture and art program. The New Terminal One aspires to be recognized as among the top five airport terminals in the world; final completion of the initial phase of the project is expected by mid-2026.ADVERTISEMENT

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In support of commercial aviation’s path toward net zero carbon emissions, Boeing yesterday released the Boeing Cascade Climate Impact Model for public use. Cascade, a data modeling tool that identifies the effects of a range of sustainability solutions to reduce aviation’s carbon emissions, is accessible on Boeing’s new Sustainable Aerospace Together hub, www.sustainabilitytogether.aero.Cascade examines the full life cycle of alternate energy sources for aviation – from production through distribution and use – and quantifies the ability to cut aviation’s carbon emissions. Data modeling also measures airplane fleet renewal, operational efficiency, renewable energy sources, future aircraft and market-based measures as pathways to decarbonization.
“We created Cascade to serve as an industry tool that creates a common framework among aviation, energy, finance and policy,” said Boeing Chief Sustainability Officer Chris Raymond. “By putting data first and sharing this model with the public, we are enabling collaboration, feedback and alignment across industry, government and others who work together to achieve a more sustainable aerospace future.”
Key findings from Cascade’s assessments include:
The journey to net zero is dependent on the overall energy transition. Whether using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), hydrogen or electricity, the energy and emissions associated with the production, distribution and storage of fuels must be minimized to achieve the most sustainable outcome.SAF will be the biggest contributor to reducing carbon emissions because it can be used in commercial airplanes flying today – both new and old. Since many jets flying today will be in service into and even beyond the 2040s, it is imperative to abate their emissions with SAF.While electric- and potentially hydrogen-powered aircraft will emerge in future decades, their contribution to emissions reduction will likely be limited through 2050 due to long timeframes for development and deployment and the magnitude of related infrastructure changes for airports and pipelines.Renewing fleets with best-in-class, fuel-efficient airplanes will significantly reduce emissions in coming years.“Cascade helps airline operators, industry partners and policymakers see when, where and how different fuel sources affect their sustainability goals,” said Neil Titchener, Cascade Program Leader. “Our industry has really hard questions ahead of us, we’re going to have to make difficult choices. Cascade can be the conversation starter for how each decarbonization pathway can help us reach a more sustainable future.”
Boeing announced the public release of Cascade at its first Sustainable Aerospace Together Forum, a conference convening leaders from commercial aviation, government and the energy and finance sectors. The event was streamed by FT Live and recorded sessions will be made available following the event.ADVERTISEMENTBoeing also introduced the Cascade User Community, a working group that will provide feedback on new features, functionalities and application programming interfaces. The founding members of the Community are IATA, NASA, University of Cambridge’s Aviation Impact Accelerator and the MIT Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment.
“The Cascade User Community will ensure the tool and data sources continue to get feedback and evolve for informed and effective discussions towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050,” said Raymond.
In addition to hosting Cascade, the Sustainable Aerospace Together website provides resources and industry insights on aviation pathways to decarbonization. Try Cascade at www.sustainabilitytogether.aero.

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To continue providing reliable global access and exceptional service to current NetJets Owners and their guests, NetJets has signed a new deal with Embraer for up to 250 Praetor 500 jet options, which includes a comprehensive services and support agreement.The deal is valued in excess of US $5 billion, with deliveries expected to begin in 2025, and will be NetJets’ first time offering the midsize Praetor 500 to customers. For over a decade, NetJets has operated Embraer’s Phenom 300 series—one of NetJets’ most requested aircraft.
The partnership between Embraer and NetJets began in 2010 when NetJets first signed a purchase agreement for 50 Phenom 300 aircraft, with up to 75 additional options. In 2021, after Embraer successfully delivered over 100 aircraft, the companies signed a continuing deal for up to 100 additional Phenom 300/E jets, in excess of $1.2 billion.
With this new agreement, NetJets signifies not only its commitment to creating an enhanced customer experience as the company is averaging over 1,200 worldwide flights per day but also its trust in Embraer’s industry-leading portfolio and top-ranked support to deliver the ultimate experience to NetJets customers.
“Since 2010, Embraer has enjoyed NetJets’ ongoing commitment to our industry-leading aircraft, which is a true testament to the value of our brand and our ability to deliver the ultimate experience in business aviation,” said Michael Amalfitano, President and CEO of Embraer Executive Jets. “Our strategic partnership has been an integral part of our business growth, with NetJets taking all aircraft delivery options that have been ordered with Embraer since inception. After building this successful foundation with the Phenom 300 series, it’s our pleasure to have now signed this monumental deal for the Praetor 500 midsize jet, and we look forward to an even more exciting future ahead.”
“We are eager to add the Embraer Praetor 500, one of today’s most state-of-the-art business jets, to our midsize fleet,” said Doug Henneberry, Executive Vice President of NetJets Aircraft Asset Management. “This historic fleet agreement is another way that we are growing our fleet for the benefit of our loyal customers. By adding up to 250 aircraft to our fleet, we will continue providing NetJets Owners with exceptional service and seamless access to all corners of the globe.” ADVERTISEMENTThe Praetor 500 is the world’s most disruptive and technologically advanced midsize business jet, boasting an impressive best-in-class range—enabling U.S. coast-to-coast capability—industry-leading speed, and unparalleled runway performance. In terms of technology, it’s the only aircraft in its category with full fly-by-wire flight controls.
Not only does the Praetor 500 offer exceptional performance but it also offers one of the most comfortable cabin experiences. It features the lowest cabin altitude in its class, as well as the tallest and widest cross section in the segment. Additionally, it offers a flat-floor cabin, stone flooring, a vacuum lavatory, and ample baggage space, including a fully enclosed internal baggage compartment.

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Wego, the largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has announced its partnership with flyadeal, the true low-cost airline in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a subsidiary of Saudi Airlines Group, to offer its users the chance to directly book flights on flyadeal through its platform.
MENA is a key market for Wego, and always tops the searches from this region. flyadeal, one of the youngest and fastest growing low-cost airlines in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Middle East, continues its expansion to the region.
flyadeal currently operates scheduled flights to 17 domestic destinations across Saudi Arabia and six in Europe, Middle East and Africa. From June, the airline will triple its international footprint with 12 additional destinations in Europe and Middle East. These are Rhodes and Heraklion in Greece; Sarajevo (Bosnia); Larnaca (Cyprus), Tivat (Montenegro); Izmir, Antalya, Bodrum and Trabzon in Turkey; Baku (Azerbaijan); Tbilisi, (Georgia); and Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt).
The new partnership includes all flyadeal flights to Wego’s marketplace where users can book directly with the airline. Wego is looking to provide its users with a wider choice of airlines to book from, by adding such a renowned airline to its portfolio.
Con Korfiatis, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted to partner with Wego, the biggest and renowned online travel marketplace in the MENA region. This collaboration will allow our customers to directly book flyadeal’s wide choice and growing number of flights through Wego’s platform, giving us the opportunity to distribute our products to a bigger audience, and showcase our competitive everyday fares. This partnership will further enhance our customers’ travel experience and help us to better serve them.”ADVERTISEMENTAdditionally, Wego’s users will benefit from flyadeal fares which will be promoted across all Wego’s marketing channels and will be able to search and book the most competitive deals online.
Ross Veitch, CEO and Co-founder of Wego, said: “As the largest online travel marketplace in MENA we are delighted to announce our partnership with flyadeal, the fastest growing airline in KSA. We look forward to offering flyadeal’s attractively priced fares to Wego’s audience both in The Kingdom and also across our regional points of sale as flyadeal opens new international routes.”
Around 10,000 monthly bookings for flyadeal have been conducted.
The top destinations searching for flights to Saudi were Egypt, India, Kuwait, UAE, Sudan, Oman, Turkey, Jordan, Morocco, and Qatar.
Wego data also shows that 79% of travelers are staying up to 3 days with the remaining percentage staying 12 days or more.
This collaboration ensures Wego users are always getting the most comprehensive selection of flight options possible across all its platforms.

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