The sustained upward trend in travel demand pushed global air traffic to grow by 67 percent year-on-year in January, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Air traffic – measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs – was at 84.2 percent of its pre-pandemic level, or 15.8 percent down from January 2019.

“Air travel demand is off to a very healthy start in 2023,” Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Fueled by the lifting of the zero-COVID policy in China, domestic air traffic surged 32.7 percent from a year ago in January and reached to 97.4 percent of the January 2019 level.

International air traffic has more than doubled compared to a year earlier with all markets recording strong growth, led by carriers in the Asia-Pacific region.

International RPKs reached 77 percent of the pre-pandemic level.

Walsh stressed that the rapid removal of Covid-19 restrictions for Chinese domestic and international travel bodes will back the recovery in the sector this year.