Worldwide airline passenger demand, led by Asia Pacific, remained strong in August with load factors matching record levels, new figures from the International Air Transport Association have shown.
Demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, climbed almost 7% while capacity increased by 5.6%. The disparity led to loads of 83.4%, matching the record high set in July 2011.
“August was a positive month for passenger travel. Strong demand and capacity discipline saw load factors match the previous record high,” IATA director general and chief executive Tony Tyler said. “Trading conditions are still tough with high oil prices, stiff competition and regulatory hurdles. But demand growth remains a bright spot with most indications pointing towards acceleration in the fourth quarter.”
Renewed confidence in Europe and North America, coupled with growing stability in emerging markets, was driving the growth, he added.
Asia Pacific recorded growth of 8.6%, the strongest performance of the major regions, with loads up 1.7 percentage points to 81.6%. Capacity climbed 6.3%.
IATA said Australian domestic traffic rose 4.7% with the number of available seats up 2.2%. Loads climbed almost two points to 77.7%.
