Global Air Traffic Rises in October
Global passenger air traffic rose by 6.3 percent in October compared with the same month in 2017.
This marked a rebound from 5.5 percent growth recorded in September, which was an eight-month low. Capacity also grew 6.3 percent and load factor was flat at 81.1 percent, matching last year’s record for the month.
Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO, said October’s healthy performance is reassuring after the slower demand growth in September. However, he added, the bigger picture is that traffic growth has moderated compared with earlier in the year, reflecting a more mixed economic backdrop and reduced demand stimulation from lower fares. North American airlines’ traffic climbed 5.6 percent in October compared with the year-ago period, up from 4.9 percent growth in September. Capacity rose 3.7 percent and load factor surged 1.4 percentage points to 80.4 percent. Strong momentum in the US economy is helping to drive robust international demand.
by Dan Booth
