IATA (International Air Transport Association) has published figures that show worldwide scheduled passenger traffic dropped 11.8% year-on-year in June, compared with a 21% fall in May. Asia Pacific carriers were hardest hit in June, with a traffic decline of 35.8% from the same month of 2002, reflecting the effects on demand of the SARS outbreak. For the first half of 2003, overall passenger traffic decreased by 7.1% year-on-year. North American and Asia Pacific airlines saw traffic fall 11.1% and 15.6% respectively, while European traffic fared better with a decline of just 1.1%. South American and Middle Eastern traffic grew 9.3% and 5% respectively over the six months. http://www.iata.org