July Passenger Travel Shows Strong Growth: IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports global passenger traffic results for July showing demand growth of 5.3% (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) over the previous July.
Capacity expanded exactly in tandem with demand (5.3%), resulting in a global load factor of 82.3%, unchanged from last year.
“July was another strong month of growth for air travel. People are connecting by air in ever greater numbers. That’s true across all regions. Despite the various economic challenges, the outlook for passenger travel remains broadly positive,” said IATA director general Tony Tyler. “The overall sluggishness at the beginning of the year appears to be behind us with growth in China and other emerging economies offsetting recent deterioration in the Eurozone.”
North American airlines saw international demand grow by 2.9% – the slowest of all regions. Capacity expansion was nearly double that at 5.6%; nonetheless the load factor stood at 85.1%. Overall business conditions are the strongest since mid-2010, which bodes well for the region’s carriers. Airlines in the Middle East recorded the strongest growth at 9.2%.
“Airlines reported growth in July, which is a positive story for the global economy. Robust economic conditions support the expansion of travel. In turn connectivity stimulates economic growth and creates jobs. It’s a tried and tested virtuous circle. And the expectation is for continued solid growth over the remainder of 2014,” added Tyler.
