São Paulo – Countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America recorded the highest increments in passenger demand on international flights in July 2012. According to a survey issued last Thursday (30th) by the International Air Transport Association (Iata), passenger demand was up 11.2% in the Middle East as against July 2011. The growth rate was 5.7% in Latin America and 5.2% in Africa. In Europe, the rate was 4.8% and in the Asia-Pacific region, 0.9%. North America saw a 2.1% decline in air traffic.
According to the Iata, airlines are reducing the number of seats available to increase occupancy rates at flights, and thus post profits in their operations. Even though air traffic has grown in most of the regions surveyed, the Iata claims that demand tends to be increasingly lower.
In comparison with June this year, for instance, demand was down 7.3% in Europe, up 1.6% in North America, and down 1.3% in the Asia-Pacific region. In the Middle East, demand was up 0.1% in July from June, but the result was affected by the Ramadan, which was observed in July.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
