The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that global passenger traffic results for November 2016 showing the strongest demand growth in nine months.
Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 7.6 per cent compared to November 2015. Capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) increased by 6.5 per cent, and load factor rose 0.8 percentage points to 78.9 per cent.
“Stronger demand for air travel reflects—and is supporting–a pick-up in the global economic cycle. As the stimulus effect of lower oil prices recedes in the rear view mirror, the strength of the economic cycle will play a key role in the pace of demand growth in 2017,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General/ CEO.
November international passenger demand rose 8.0 per cent compared to the year earlier, with airlines in all regions showing growth. Total capacity climbed 6.8 per cent, and load factor edged up 0.9 percentage points to 77.1 per cent.
African airlines experienced an 8.2 per cent rise in demand compared to November 2015. Economic conditions in much of Africa remain challenging, particularly in the biggest economies of Nigeria and South Africa, but the upward trend in seasonally-adjusted passenger traffic has reasserted itself more recently, supported by strong demand on routes to and from Asia and the Middle East. Capacity rose 5.1% and load factor climbed 1.9 percentage points to 66.3 per cent.
European carriers saw demand increase by 8.3 per cent in November 2016, while traffic grew at an annualised pace of 12 per cent over the past five months or so. This suggests that the disruption caused by terrorism and political instability has lifted, against a backdrop of a growing Eurozone economy. Capacity rose 6.8 per cent and load factor climbed 1.1 percentage point to 80.8 per cent.
Asia-Pacific airlines’ November traffic also climbed 8.3 per cent compared to the year-ago period. Capacity increased 7.1% and load factor rose 0.8 percentage points to 77.4 per cent. The strong upward trend in demand has slowed recently but it is not clear whether this is a longer-term development or just a brief pause.
Middle East carriers led all regions with a 12.2 per cent demand increase. But the upward trend in the region’s seasonally adjusted traffic has paused, with November’s level coming in unchanged from that of July. Capacity rose 11.6 per cent and load factor rose 0.3 percentage points to 68.7 per cent.
North American airlines’ traffic climbed 1.5 per cent in November. Traffic across the Pacific is growing rapidly but North Atlantic demand is moderating. Capacity rose 1.2 per cent and load factor edged up 0.2 percentage points to 78.7 per cent.
