Airlines see load factors dip as capacity growth outstrips demand
Demand for flights was the strongest at the turn of the year since 2008, but February was the first month since mid-2015 when capacity growth exceeded demand.
New data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showed that capacity increased by almost 10%, leading to a drop in load factor of 0.7 percentage points to 77.8%.
"It is unclear whether this signals the start of a generalized downward trend in load factor, but it bears watching," said Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general and CEO.
European airlines saw demand rise 7.7% in February compared with a year ago, but capacity was up 7.8%, leading to a 0.1 percentage point dip in load factors to 78.3%.
African airlines saw the greatest rise in traffic, which was up by 12.7%, but as capacity shot up 13.4%, load factors fell 0.4% percentage points to 63.7%.
North America saw the slowest rise in traffic, which was up by just 3.6% while capacity was up by 4.8%, leading to a 0.9 percentage point drop in load factors to 75.9%.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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