São Paulo – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said this Thursday (3) that global demand for air travel was up 9.5% year-on-year in March, domestic and international travel included. Demand is gauged in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK). According to the association, this was the strongest hike in the last 12 months.
International air travel demand was up 10.6%, and IATA said relevant growth was seen in all regions of the world. In the Middle East, for instance, passenger traffic increased by 10.7%, up from 4.1% year-on-year in February. The association reported that this came as a result of “healthy growth” in Middle East-Asia connections.
In Latin America, international traffic was up 11.8% year-on-year in March, making it the fastest-growing region for the third month straight. IATA notes that numbers here were partly fueled by an economic rebound in Brazil.
Available seat kilometers (ASK) in international flights were up 6.6%, with load factor going up 2.9 percentage points to 81.5%.
ASK in international flights across Latin America climbed 10%, with load factor going up 1.3 percentage point to 81.8%. In the Middle East, ASK was up 4.3%, with load factor increasing by 4.4 percentage points to 76.7%.
“Demand for air travel remains strong, supported by the comparatively healthy economic backdrop and business confidence levels,” a IATA press release quoted CEO Alexandre de Juniac as saying. “But rising cost inputs, particularly fuel prices, suggest that any demand boosts from lower fares will moderate going into the second quarter,” he added.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
