India sees double-digit growth in domestic travel
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
India’s domestic carriers have seen double-digit growth with traffic leaping 11.5% in October as compared to a year ago.
According to the data revealed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), airlines have experienced substantial volatility in traffic and it is likely that the increase is a result of unusually low volumes a year ago rather than growth in October. Capacity rose 9.4% and load factor climbed 1.4% points to 72.1%.
Overall, domestic travel demand rose 6.0% in October as compared to a year-ago, largely driven by strong traffic growth in developing markets. Total domestic capacity was up 6.3%, however, pushing load down 0.2% points to 79.8%. Domestic traffic in US rose 2.8% last month, while China’s jumped 12.3%, Japan (5.1%), Brazil (5.5%), Russia (11.4%) and Australia (1.2%).
IATA also announced that global passenger traffic results for October showed a moderate acceleration of the robust demand trend of the last few months. Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 6.6% compared to October 2012, an improvement over the September increase of 5.2%. A capacity increase of 6.5% meant that load factor was virtually flat at 78.9%.
“October traffic results reinforce expectations for a strong fourth quarter traffic performance in line with rising business confidence and better economic performance in the major advanced economies,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO. Adding further Tyler said, “In 2013, the airline industry will carry more than 3 billion passengers in a year for the first time. And on 1 January 2014, we will celebrate a century of scheduled commercial aviation. These twin landmarks provide an opportunity to reflect on the enormous contribution aviation makes to all of our lives. That contribution comes not from the fees and taxes with which governments continue to burden aviation and air travelers, but rather from the ability to bring people together, connect people to markets and to create opportunities for greater understanding among cultures.”
Comments are closed.