Demand for air travel around the world continued to rise in September, according to latest IATA figures.
Total revenue passenger kilometers rose 5.5 per cent year on year, with capacity growth falling just short of this rate, at 5.3 per cent. Average load factors, at 80 per cent were in line with those of the previous September.
IATA director general Tony Tyler said strong growth meant there could be a further acceleration in expansion before the end of the year.
“We are seeing a more positive environment for air travel demand based on rising business confidence, a strong increase in export orders in September and better performance of key emerging markets like China.”
In international markets, the Middle East predictably saw the biggest growth, at 10.4 per cent. Capacity here expanded by 13 per cent, pushing load factors down almost two percentage points to 77.2 per cent.
Asia Pacific saw the next strongest growth, with an increase of 8.5 per cent. IATA says this was due to China’s third quarter GDP growth and Japan’s improved economy.
European carriers’ international traffic climbed 3.4 per cent following “modest” economic improvements. IATA said an acceleration in trade growth would help support demand for the remainder of the year.
Globally, domestic travel rose 5 per cent in September, with all markets showing an increase. The highest of these was in India, at 16.4 per cent, which IATA said was inconsistent with its weak economy and a reflection of fare discounting.