Global air travel demand in January rose 7.1 percent year
over year, the International Air Transport Association reported.
Traffic on international routes rose 7.3 percent and was up
in all regions. Capacity increased 5.9 percent. International air travel demand
growth hit double digits in Africa (12.1 percent), the Middle East (10.9
percent) and Asia/Pacific (10.3 percent), though capacity growth in the Middle
East (12.9 percent) outpaced demand, resulting in a 1.4 percentage-point drop
in load factor. Capacity growth was below demand growth in Africa and
Asia/Pacific.
In North America, international demand rose 2.4 percent year
over year. The region's international traffic growth was lowest among the major
global regions "as carriers have focused on the stronger and larger
domestic market," according to IATA.
International traffic rose 4.2 percent in Europe, where
volume has picked up, the association reported.
Demand on domestic routes rose 6.8 percent year
over year globally in January, and capacity was up 5.1 percent. Domestic demand
growth was highest in India (22.9 percent) and China (11.9 percent) and also rose
in the United States (5.5 percent), Australia (3.8 percent) and Japan (1.2
percent). Domestic demand declined in Brazil (4.1 percent) and Russia (2
percent).