International air passenger traffic recorded another solid month in April growing 8.5 per cent compared to the year-ago period with airlines in all regions showing a healthy increase in demand, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 7.5 per cent compared to April 2013, an improvement over March growth of 2.9 per cent, said the global aviation body in its statement.

The global growth was spearheaded by Middle East carriers whose demand soared 18.6 per cent in April, easily the strongest growth for any region. The airline capacity climbed 13.1 per cent and load factor jumped 3.8 percentage points to 80.8 per cent for last month.

Airlines in the Middle East continue to benefit from the strength of regional economies and solid growth in business-related premium travel, said the IATA in its statement.

The year-on-year comparison is somewhat biased by the timing of the Easter holiday, which occurred in April 2014, a month later than in 2013. April capacity increased 5.8 per cent, propelling load factor up 1.2 percentage points to 79.4  per cent, it added.

Commenting on the growth, Tony Tyler, the IATA’s director general and CEO, said: "April’s demand growth was a pleasant surprise in the face of the moderating trend of recent months but it is not clear whether the acceleration in demand is sustainable in view of global economic trends including slower growth in China."

The international airline capacity rose 6.9 per cent in April, while the load factor climbed 1.2 percentage points to 79.0 per cent, he added.

Asia-Pacific carriers’ traffic rose 6.7 per cent compared to the year-ago period but capacity rose 7.7 per cent and load factor slipped 0.7 percentage points to 75.7 per cent.

Economic conditions in the region do not support further acceleration in demand growth, with China continuing to show weakness and Japan starting to see some reversal of previous growth momentum. In Japan, a recent sales tax increase caused indicators for economic activity to decline sharply in April.

European carriers saw demand climb 7.9 per cent in April versus April 2013. Economic activity in the Eurozone continues to improve, albeit at rates that are below expectations. Capacity rose 5.4 per cent and load factor climbed 1.9 percentage points to 81.4 per cent, the highest for any region, said IATA in its statement.

North American airlines too experienced a 4.9 per cent rise in traffic compared to April a year ago. Capacity rose 3.3 per cent pushing load factor up 1.2 percentage points to 80.8 per cent.

According to IATA, the Latin American airlines’ traffic rose 8.2 per cent compared to April last year. The outlook for Latin American carriers remains broadly positive, with continued robust performance of economies such as Colombia, Peru and Chile, and the upcoming demand to be generated by the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, it added.

On the downside, however, trade volumes have made no progress this year compared to the highs reached at the end of 2013, suggesting that acceleration in business-related travel is unlikely in the near term. Capacity rose 5.2 per cent and load factor climbed 2.2 percentage points to 79.1 per cent.

African airlines had the weakest demand growth, with traffic up 3.9 per cent compared to April 2013, while capacity rose 8.1 per cent, resulting in a 2.7 percentage point drop in load factor to 66.2 per cent, the lowest load factor for any region.

The weakness could be in part reflecting adverse economic developments in some parts of the continent, including the slowdown of the major economy of South Africa, said the statement.

According to IATA, the domestic travel demand surged 5.8 per cent in April compared to last year, with the strongest growth occurring in Brazil, China and Russia.

The timing of the Easter holiday, which fell in April this year and in March a year-ago, had a positive influence on comparisons in some markets. Total domestic capacity was up 3.9 per cent, and load factor rose 1.4 percentage points to 80.2 per cent, it stated.

"In just a few days, the world air transport community will gather in Doha for the 70th IATA Annual General Meeting. The strong demand for air travel recorded in April reinforces aviation’s importance as an enabler of global economic growth and job creation, while the slowdown in Japan’s demand growth illustrates the sensitivity of the sector - and the economic benefits that it provides - to taxes," said Tyler.

"All those visiting the Gulf for the AGM will have a unique opportunity to see the potential for aviation to drive development when in a business-friendly environment and with the right infrastructure," he added.-TradeArabia News Service