KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 10): S&P Global Commodity Insights said global air travel has exceeded equivalent 2019 levels for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, citing digital flight information tracking data, amid cautious optimism that the easing of international travel to and from China will help spur further jet demand recovery over the coming year.

In a statement on Monday (Jan 9), S&P said commercial flights — a proxy for jet fuel demand — rose to average 92,672 in the week to Jan 8, 4.3% higher than the same week in 2019, according to data from flight tracker RadarBox.

The firm said the data showed significant growth in flights in the US and Europe, while China's recent easing of air travel restrictions has yet to trigger a major uptick in either domestic or foreign flights.

On Dec 26, China removed the quarantine requirement for international travellers, after dropping most internal lockdowns and mandatory testing earlier in the month, finally ending its most stringent Covid-19 restrictions.

And since Sunday, international travellers only need a negative result from a PCR test taken 48 hours pre-flight to enter the country.

China has also started issuing passports for travel abroad, according to the country's immigration authorities.

S&P Global Commodity Insights estimated average kerosene/jet demand in China at around 533,000 barrels per day (b/d), down from year-ago levels of 679,000 b/d, and well below pre-pandemic levels of one million b/d late in 2019, before the Covid-19 outbreak.

The easing of international travel to and from China is unlikely to have a big impact on flights from the country in the first quarter, given the limitations of logistics capacity restarting, aviation data company provider Official Airline Guide said last week.