International passenger demand rises in September
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed global passenger traffic showed solid year-on-year demand growth in September.
Total revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) rose 7.3% compared to the year-ago period, slightly above the 7.1% growth achieved in August. September capacity (available seat kilometres or ASKs) increased by 6.6%, and load factor rose 0.5 percentage points to 80.7%.
“The demand for air travel in September was robust — even with the economic slowdown in some key emerging markets such as China. The industry seems set for a positive end to 2015,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general and CEO.
September international passenger demand rose 7.0% compared to September 2014, with airlines in all regions recording growth. Total capacity climbed 6.9%, and load factor edged up 0.1 percentage points to 80.5%.
European carriers saw demand increase by 7.1%, supported by economic recovery in the region. Capacity climbed 6.6% and load factor rose 0.4 percentage points to 85.1%, highest among the regions.
By comparison, Middle East carriers had a 9.9% demand increase in September, well down on the 13.7% year-over year growth experienced in August, but still a very healthy result. Capacity rose 12.9% and load factor slipped 2.1 percentage points to 75.7%. Major economies in the region, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have experienced slowdowns in non-oil sectors, however rates of growth remain robust.
Domestic travel demand rose 7.8% in September compared to September 2014. All markets except Brazil showed growth with the strongest increases occurring in India, China and Russia. Domestic capacity climbed 6.1%, and load factor improved 1.3 percentage points to 81.0%.
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