The growth of global air travel is being held back by “softer demand” following terrorist attacks and a “fragile” economic outlook.
The latest figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showed that passenger traffic rose by 5.2 per cent in June, compared to the same month in 2015.
But IATA said that the “upward trend” in airline traffic has “moderated” since January and load factor fell slightly in June – dropping by 0.3 percentage points to an average of 80.7 per cent.
Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general, said: “The demand for travel continues to increase, but at a slower pace. The fragile and uncertain economic backdrop, political shocks and a wave of terrorist attacks are all contributing to a softer demand environment.”
European airlines saw the smallest regional increase in demand during June – up by only 2.1 per cent year-on-year, which IATA said was “reflecting the negative impact of recent terrorism”.
“It is too soon to know whether recent terrorist attacks will have a long-term negative influence on demand, nor what will be the impact of Brexit and the events in Turkey,” added Tyler.
“But it is vital that governments recognise and support aviation’s ability to contribute to global economic well-being and better understanding across cultural and political borders.”