Passenger traffic demand rose in February after growth slowed in January, with the timing of the Lunar New Year contributing to the better results.
Global passenger traffic (in revenue passenger kms) grew 7.6 percent over the same month last year, up from January’s 4.6 percent uplift, IATA said in its monthly traffic report.
Capacity in available seat kms increased by 6.3 percent in February, resulting in a 0.9 percentage point rise in load factor to 80.4 percent, the International Air Transport Association said.
“As expected, we saw a return to stronger demand growth in February, after the temporary slowdown in January. This is being supported by the robust economic backdrop and solid business confidence, IATA’s Director General Alexandre de Juniac said.
He cautioned though that “increases in fuel prices and labour costs in some countries likely will temper the amount of traffic stimulation from lower airfares this year.”
Regionally, Asia Pacific continued its strong growth leadership with a 10.1 percent increase in RPKs. Latin America came in on 7.2 percent, with Europe only a touch lower at 7.0 percent. North America saw a 6.5 percent increase in passenger traffic.
In ASK capacity terms Asia Pacific also topped the growth list with a 9.3 percent increase. Latin America added 6.1 percent more capacity, with North America’s 5.0 percent just shading Europe on 4.9 percent.
