AIRLINE PASSENGER TRAFFIC continued to grow in July, according to figures released by Airport Councils International (ACI). Despite fuel and security surcharges, the competitive fares and summer vacation in the northern hemisphere contributed to buoyant growth in passenger travel. Worldwide traffic increased by nearly 6% compared to July 2004, continuing the solid growth trend seen in June 2005. Worldwide freight growth, however, was sluggish with a modest overall increase of 1%. Regional analysis for both the year-to-date and 12-month categories show that the Asia/Pacific, Latin American and Middle Eastern regions continue to lead passenger growth with double-digit increases, and also report the strongest growth in freight traffic, as indicated in tables 2 and 3. Examples of airports reporting high passenger growth rates in July include Johannesburg (JNB), 26%; Beijing (PEK), 20%; Buenos Aires (EZE), 19%; Dubai (DXB), 13% and Salt Lake City (SLC), 22%, and in Europe several airports increased total traffic by 9% or more, including Athens (ATH), Barcelona (BCN), Geneva (GVA), Munich (MUC) and Vienna (VIE).
http://www.aci-na.org