Speaking as the association releases new passenger data for August 2022, Walsh said the northern hemisphere peak summer travel season "finished on a high note".
"Considering the prevailing economic uncertainties, travel demand is progressing well," he added. "And the removal or easing of travel restrictions at some key Asian destinations, including Japan, will certainly accelerate the recovery in Asia."
Total traffic in August 2022 was up 67.7% compared to August 2021 and global traffic is now at 73.7% of pre-pandemic levels.
Domestic traffic for August 2022 was up 26.5% compared to the same time last year and total August 2022 domestic traffic was at 85.4% of the August 2019 level.
International traffic rose 115.6% versus August 2021 with airlines in Asia delivering the strongest year-on-year growth rates. August 2022 international RPKs reached 67.4% of August 2019 levels.
Meanwhile, European carriers’ August traffic climbed 78.8% versus August 2021, capacity rose 48%, and load factor increased 14.7 percentage points to 85.5%. The region had the second highest load factor after North America.
North American carriers saw a 110.4% traffic rise in August versus the 2021 period. Capacity rose 69.7%, and load factor climbed 16.9 percentage points to 87.2%, which was the highest among the regions.
A year ago this week, the Iata AGM took the decision to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
"The near grounding of aviation during the pandemic highlighted how important aviation is to the modern world," Walsh continued.
"And we will take a giant step towards securing the long-term social and economic benefits of sustainable global connectivity, if the policy vision of governments is aligned with the industry’s commitment to net zero by 2050."
