Growth in World Air Traffic Slows

Washington: International airline passenger traffic and cargo shipments grew at a slower pace in the first half of the year, a trade group said Monday.
The International Air Transport Association, which represents more than 240 airlines, said Middle East departures and arrivals grew by nearly 18 percent in the January through June period, helping to boost overall passenger traffic by 6.3 percent from a year ago. In the first half of 2006, worldwide passenger traffic climbed 6.7 percent.
Growth in air cargo shipments also slowed. International cargo shipments increased by 2.7 percent from the first half of last year. During the same time period in 2006, cargo traffic was up 5.2 percent from the prior year.
Worldwide, airlines will buy nearly 1,800 new planes over the next 18 months, with the largest share being taken by Asian carriers to meet demand from China and India, according to the association.
The association's midyear report, which measures passenger demand by revenue for each kilometer flown by passengers, also highlighted 9.9 percent growth from January through June in flights to and from Africa compared with last year as flights increased from Asian and Middle Eastern cities.
Growth was also strong in Asia, which reported a 6 percent increase in passenger traffic.
Industrywide, international flights reported an average load factor, or occupancy level, of nearly 76 percent for the January-June period, up 0.6 percent from last year.
30/07/07 Alan Zibel/Associated Press/Forbes, US

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Categories: General Aviation Jul 2007