MONTREAL: International airline passenger traffic was up 11.7 percent from a year earlier in May, while freight demand jumped by 34.3 percent, the International Air Transport Association reports.
"Demand rebounded strongly in May following the impact of the European volcanic ash fiasco in April," association Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said in a news release.
"Passenger traffic is now 1 percent above pre-recession levels, while the freight market is 6 percent bigger."
Passenger capacity increased by just 4.8 percent, pushing load factors to 76 percent. But there is capacity pressure, with aircraft use 5 percent below pre-recession levels for single-aisle aircraft and 8 percent for longer-range twin-aisle aircraft, the association said.
North American carriers saw a 10.9 percent passenger increase in May from a year earlier, with a load factor of 82.4 percent — the highest among all regions.
"In the short-term, airlines need to focus our efforts on nurturing the recovery by continuing to match capacity carefully to improving demand conditions," Bisignani said. "And everybody must control costs."
Airlines increased cargo capacity by just 12.3 percent, driving load factors to a record high of 55.7 percent, the association reported.
Source: Aerospace News
