| African air transport up 13pc — Iata | Send to a friend |
| Tuesday, 31 August 2010 23:27 |
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African airlines registered a record performance in passenger traffic in July, says the International Air Transport Association (Iata). The continent is said to have recorded a 13 per cent growth in passenger demand during the month — consistent with the year-to-date improvement of 13.1 per cent. However, the growth was lower than the 21.3 per cent increase in the previous month’s traffic when the World Cup competition took place in South Africa. Generally, the industry saw increases in freight and the number of passengers in Asia and Middle East. Statistics indicates that passenger demand rose by 9.2 per cent compared to the same period last year, while freight traffic grew by 22.7 per cent. The July growth, however, was at a slower pace than in June where growth data indicates an 11.6 per cent and 26.6 per cent increases for passenger and cargo traffic respectively. “The recovery in demand has been faster than anticipated. But, as we look towards the end of the year, the pace of recovery will likely slow,” Iata director-general Giovanni Bisignani, said in a recent statement. Although the industry has continued to recover faster than expected after the global economic slowdown, there still exists sharp regional differences in demand growth. Latin American carriers for instance, recorded a high of 14.2 per cent growth in passenger demand during the month and 10.9 per cent for the first seven months of the year. Asia-Pacific carriers posted a 10.9 per cent growth during the month while Middle Eastern carriers, which registered the highest growth in June (18 per cent), posted a growth rate of 12.8 per cent. North American carriers recorded a 7.9 per cent improvement in passenger demand in July over the same month in the previous year. Passenger demand for European airlines grew by 6.2 per cent during the month, over the same month in 2009, the weakest demand performance among all regions. In June, Europe recorded a growth rate of 7.8 per cent. The low performance in Europe is attributed to the region’s stalling economy due to the slow start in the recovery process.Mr Bisignani said the jobless economic recovery is keeping consumer confidence fragile especially in North America and Europe, which is affecting leisure markets and cargo traffic. “Following the boost of cargo demand from inventory re-stocking, further growth will be largely determined by consumer spending which remains weak,” he added. The industry also suffered a dip in April due to the volcanic ash crisis centred in Europe, which saw international passenger demand reduce tremendously. Mr Bisignani was optimistic that 2010 will be a great year. IATA represents some 230 airlines operating 93 per cent of all global traffic. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
