Flying high
Middle East airlines recorded a 3.4% surge in demand in February compared to a year ago as international passenger demand rose 7.2%, new Iata figures reveal.
dubai — Middle East airlines recorded a 3.4 per cent surge in demand in February compared to a year ago as international passenger demand rose 7.2 per cent compared to February 2017, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) said on Thursday.
The global passenger traffic results for February show a rebound in traffic growth following the slower demand experienced in January, which was owing to temporary factors including the later timing of the Lunar New Year in 2018.
In the Middle East, capacity rose 3.9 per cent and load factor slipped 0.3 percentage point to 74.1 per cent. “Carriers in the region faced significant headwinds over the past year including the temporary ban on large portable electronic devices as well as the proposed travel bans to the US from some countries in the region,” Iata said.
In February, international passenger demand rose 7.2 per cent compared to February 2017, which was up from the 4.2 per cent increase recorded in January. “Led by airlines in Latin America, all regions recorded better year-on-year growth compared to January’s results. Total capacity climbed 5.9 per cent, and load factor rose 1.0 percentage point to 79.3 per cent,” the international body said.
Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) for the month rose 7.6 per cent, compared to February 2017, up from 4.6 per cent yearover-year growth in January. Monthly capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) increased by 6.3 per cent, and load factor rose 0.9 percentage point to 80.4 per cent, surpassing the previous record for the month of 79.5 per cent, which was set in February 2017. “As expected, we saw a return to stronger demand growth in February, after the temporary slow- down in January. This is being supported by the robust economic backdrop and solid business confidence. However, increases in fuel prices — and labour costs in some countries — likely will temper the amount of traffic stimulation from lower airfares this year,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Iata’s Director General and CEO.
Domestic travel demand rose 8.2 per cet in February compared to February 2017, up from 4.9 per cent year-over-year growth in January, with all markets reporting increases, led by India and China. Domestic capacity climbed 7.0 per cent, and load factor increased 0.9 percentage point to 82.3 per cent.
De Juniac said all around the globe the same positive picture of growth was seen in demand for aviation connectivity. “Aviation is the business of freedom, enabling people to lead
As expected, we saw a return to stronger demand growth in February, after the temporary slowdown in January Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, Iata
better lives. Aviation has helped to lift millions from poverty, but for aviation to deliver even greater benefits in future, adequate, affordable infrastructure is a must.” He said a case in point is the Latin American region, where aviation already supports jobs for five million people and $170 billion in GDP.
“The potential for aviation to do far more exists, but without concerted action by governments to address capacity shortfalls, the region could face an infrastructure crisis in the future. Within the region, Mexico City is the most critical of the bottlenecks.”
European carriers saw February demand increase by 6.8 per cent compared to a year ago. Asia-Pacific airlines’ February traffic rose 9.1 per cent compared to the year-ago period. North American airlines’ traffic climbed 7.2 per cent in February, supported by the relatively vigorous US economic backdrop, while the weaker dollar appears to be offsetting some of the negative impacts on inbound travel. Latin American airlines posted the fastest year-on-year growth for a second consecutive month as February traffic jumped 9.8 per cent compared to February 2017. African airlines experienced a 6.3 per cent rise in traffic for the month compared to the year-ago period.