Airlines report increase in August passenger demand
Global demand for flights increased in August year-on-year, although the 4.6% climb represents a slowdown from the 6.4% increase recorded the previous month.
August capacity, measured in available seat kilometres, increased by 5.8%, and load factor slipped 0.9 percentage points to 83.8%, according to IATA.
The association said fears of terrorism in Europe are still putting off international travellers, although Europeans are appearing to be more resilient.
IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said: "Growth in passenger demand dipped to 4.6%. While that’s disappointing compared to the previous month’s performance, it is still healthy growth.
"And although terrorist attacks in Europe have dampened demand, the impact is ebbing."
All regions recorded increases, measured in total revenue passenger kilometres, but growth was dominated by airlines in the Middle East, up 6.5%.
Asia-Pacific airlines’ August traffic climbed 5.6%, although there are signs Asian travellers are continuing to be put-off by recent terrorism in Europe.
Traffic on Europe-Asia routes grew just 1.5% in July, the most recent month for which route-specific figures are available, while international traffic growth on routes within Asia accelerated to 9.9%.
European carriers saw August demand climb 3.3% year-on-year. Capacity rose 5.1%, which caused load factor to drop 1.6 percentage points to 86.6%, which still was the highest among regions.
North American airlines’ international demand rose 1.8% compared to August a year ago.
Latin American airlines experienced a 6.7% demand rise compared to the same month last year, helped by strong demand on international routes within the region, spurred in part by the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
Demand for domestic travel climbed 4.3% in August compared to August 2015, which was slightly exceeded by a 4.4% increase in capacity. Load factor slid 0.1 percentage points to 83.6%.
In the domestic passenger market, all markets reported demand increases with the exception of Brazil and Russia. Average demand was up 4.3%, with India and China reporting double-digit rises.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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