ME sees international travel demand jump 14pc in May
GENEVA, July 2, 2015
Middle Eastern carriers witnessed a substantial increase in demand for international travel in May, with a 14 per cent increase, as travellers planned their holidays prior to the Ramadan period in June, said a report by International Air Transport Association (Iata)
Additionally, the region’s air freight capacity rose 19.7 per cent while load factor fell 3.7 percentage points to 74.6 per cent when compared to the same period in 2014, IATA stated in its monthly report.
Globally, international passenger demand in May rose 7.1 per cent compared to May 2014, with airlines in all regions except Africa recording growth. Total capacity climbed 6.7 per cent, pushing load factor up 0.3 percentage points to 78.4 per cent.
Asia-Pacific airlines’ recorded a 9.4 per cent increase compared to the year-ago with capacity climbing up 6.8 per cent and load factor going up 1.8 percentage points to 76 per cent.
Europe continues to see robust growth despite economic woes as the region’s carriers recorded a 5.9 per cent increase in demand. Capacity climbed 4.1 per cent and load factor rose 1.4 percentage points to 81.6 per cent – the highest among the regions.
North American airlines’ traffic rose 2 per cent compared to May a year ago, while capacity climbed 4.2 per cent and load factor fell 1.7 percentage points to 81.1 per cent.
Latin American airlines experienced a 7.4 per cent rise in traffic compared to a year ago, along with a 6.8 per cent rise in capacity and load factor climbing 0.4 percentage points to 80.2 per cent.
African airlines’ traffic fell 3.9 percent in May year-to-year, most likely owing to adverse economic developments in parts of the continent, including Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, which relies heavily on oil revenues. Capacity dropped faster than demand, slipping 4.9 per cent, with the result that load factor improved 0.7 percentage points to 64.6 per cent.
“May results confirm that demand for connectivity remains robust, but there are possible storm clouds forming on the horizon. The financial crisis in Greece and recent weakness in regional trade activity in Asia-Pacific have the potential to dampen performance in these markets in the coming months” said Tony Tyler, Iata’s director general and CEO. – TradeArabia News Service