Global air traffic climbs 5% in 2012
Global air passenger traffic increased 5.3% in 2012, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The rate of growth was slightly down on 2011’s 5.9% rise, but remains above the global 20-year average of 5%. Load factors for the year hit near record levels of 79.1%. International markets expanded at a faster rate (6.0%) than domestic (4.0%), while in both cases emerging markets were the main drivers of traffic.
“Passenger demand grew strongly in 2012 despite the economic bad news that dominated much of the last 12 months. This demonstrates just how integral global air travel is for today’s connected world. At the same time, near-record load factors illustrate the extreme care with which airlines manage capacity. Growth and high aircraft utilisation combined to help airlines deliver an estimated US$6.7 billion profit in 2012 despite high fuel prices. But with a net profit margin of just 1.0% the industry is only just keeping its head above water,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General & CEO.
International passenger traffic grew by 6.0% in 2012, with load factors hitting 78.9%. Demand for Asia Pacific carriers increased 5.2%, stronger than the 4.0% growth in 2011, although the 2011 figures were affected by the Japanese natural disasters. Capacity expansion of just 3.0% for the year kept Asia’s load factors at a healthy average of 77.5%.
European airlines’ passenger traffic expanded 5.3% in 2012, sharply down on the 9.5% growth of 2011. Capacity only expanded 3.1% however, pushing the load factors to a strong 80.5%. This was only slightly down on the record 82.0% load factors experienced by North American airlines. While passenger traffic in North America only grew 1.3% – the slowest of any region – a 0.3% cut in capacity helped the region’s airlines stay profitable.
Middle Eastern airlines saw 15.4% growth in traffic, rebounding from a troubled 2011, while Latin American carriers recorded 8.4% growth. Finally, African airlines had a solid year of growth, up 7.5%.
In terms of domestic traffic, China (9.5%) and Brazil (8.6%) were the strongest performers. US traffic expanded just 0.8%, while India was the weakest major market with a 2.1% contraction on 2011 levels. Domestic load factor stood at 79.5%.
In its outlook for 2013, IATA projected that 2013 would see 4.5% growth in passenger traffic.