Global air passenger growth for April showed a strong increase in demand, according to IATA’s monthly passenger traffic figures.
Total revenue passengers kilometres (RPKs) rose 7.5 per cent compared to April 2013, an improvement over March growth of 2.9 per cent.
The year-on-year comparison is slightly biased by the timing of the Easter holiday, which occurred in April 2014, a month later than in 2013.
The figures showed April capacity increased 5.8 per cent, propelling load factor up 1.2 percentage points to 79.4 per cent.
“April’s demand growth was a pleasant surprise in the face of the moderating trend of recent months but it’s not clear whether the acceleration in demand is sustainable in view of global economic trends including slower growth in China,” said IATA’s director general and CEO.
International passenger markets
April international passenger demand was up 8.5 per cent compared to the same period last year, with airlines in all regions recording growth and the strongest gains among Middle East carriers. Capacity rose 6.9 per cent and load factor climbed 1.2 percentage points to 79 per cent.