Mumbai: The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade association of world’s airlines, on Thursday said that global passenger traffic growth rebounded in February after recording slow demand in January due to Chinese New Year festivities.
“Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) for the month (February 2018) rose 7.6%, compared to February 2017, up from 4.6% year-over-year growth in January,” IATA said in a statement.
“Monthly capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) increased by 6.3%, and load factor rose 0.9 percentage point to 80.4%, surpassing the previous record for the month of 79.5%, which was set in February 2017,” it added.
IATA’s director general and chief executive Alexandre de Juniac said global passenger traffic growth is being supported by the robust economic backdrop and solid business confidence.
“However, increases in fuel prices—and labour costs in some countries—likely will temper the amount of traffic stimulation from lower airfares this year,” Juniac added in the statement.
IATA said India’s domestic air traffic rose 22.9% during February 2018, compared to the same period of the previous year, thus registering the 42nd consecutive month of double-digit year-on-year demand growth. The load factor exceeded 90% for the first time on record during February 2018, IATA said.
“Passenger demand continues to be stimulated by network growth that translates into time savings for air travelers (in India),” it added.
According to IATA, which represents over 280 airlines comprising 83% of global air traffic, domestic travel accounts for 45% of Asia-Pacific carriers’ operations whose largest markets are India, China and Japan.
India’s domestic air passenger traffic rose to 2.22 crore during Jan-Feb 2018, up 21.80% from the same period of the previous year, data from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) showed.
The number of domestic passengers stood at 1.07 crore in February 2018 up 24.14% from 86.55 lakh during the same period a year ago, DGCA data said.
“All around the globe we see the same positive picture of growth in demand for aviation connectivity, IATA’S chief executive Juniac said, adding “Aviation has helped to lift millions from poverty, but for aviation to deliver even greater benefits in future, adequate, affordable infrastructure is a must.”