Passenger Traffic Growth Strongest For Five Years

Global passenger traffic for January showed the strongest growth in demand for five years, IATA said in its monthly report.

International passenger market demand grew 9.6 percent compared to the previous year as the Lunar New Year fell in January, compared to February in 2016. IATA said holiday-related travel contributed up to half of a percentage point in extra demand growth.

Asia Pacific led the pack in terms of regional growth with a 14.3 percent lift. The Middle East came in a strong second on 13.5 percent, with Europe third on an 8.4 percent boost in revenue passenger km. North America trailed with a 3.4 percent increase in RPKs.

Capacity in available seat km rose 8 percent overall, with the Middle East on 11.2 percent edging out Asia Pacific's 11.1 percent increase. Europe was third with a more modest 7 percent lift in capacity for the month.

For domestic demand, India showed the strongest growth with a 26.6 percent increase in RPKs. China was second on 23.2 percent, and Russia third with a 15.4 percent increase. US domestic market growth was 3.5 percent.

India added 20.9 percent more domestic capacity in ASK terms, with China on 18.5 percent and Russia increasing by 16.6 percent.

“2017 is off to a very strong start, with demand at levels not seen since 2011. This is supported by the upturn in the global economic cycle and a return to a more normal environment after the terrorism and political ‘shock’ events seen in early 2016,” IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac said.