IATA, the trade organisation of many of the world”s airlines, has issued figures for August which show international passenger traffic increasing in all regions and freight traffic holding a steady course. Preliminary passenger traffic results for the month indicate traffic only 0.3% below August 2002, as compared to the wider gap of 3.6% recorded in July 2003 against July 2002. IATA now forecasts that overall international passenger traffic levels in 2003 will be approximately 1% lower than 2002 by year end if stable conditions prevail. Four regions recorded an improvement in international passenger traffic over August 2002: Europe (4.4%), South America (8.2%), Africa (1.6%) and Middle East (18.7%). Although still below August 2002 results, North America at -6.5% and Asia Pacific at -4.6% continue to narrow the gap. In the international freight market, overall traffic increased 3.6% in August, as compared to August 2002.
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