Domestic air traffic sees marginal decline in April

India's domestic air traffic saw a marginal decline in April compared to a year ago in face of a strong growth of almost 11 per cent in China during the same period, the IATA has said.
Indian domestic traffic slipped 0.3 per cent in April compared to a year ago, latest data of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.
"This followed a sharp rise in March traffic attributable to fare discounting," the analysis said.
The air capacity mounted by Indian airlines or the number of seats offered in April fell 0.2 per cent, while passenger load factor (percentage of seats filled on each flight) remained unchanged at 75.5 per cent, it showed.

Overall, global domestic markets climbed 3.5 per cent in April compared to the same month last year, driven primarily by strong demand in China, as other markets experienced declines with the exception of Australia which rose 3.8 per cent, the IATA latest figures showed.
However, the international passenger demand was up three per cent compared to the year-ago period, as capacity rose 4.3 per cent. But load factor dipped one point to 77.8 per cent.

Asia-Pacific carriers recorded an increase of 2.4 per cent on international traffic compared to April 2012, compared to a 5.7 per cent rise in March.

Reflecting "softening in regional economic indicators," the analysis showed China's business confidence "slipping in April to levels indicating stagnation in the manufacturing sector."
Growth in Asian trade volumes has also "flattened after a pick-up toward the end of 2012, it showed.
"Passenger demand continued to grow in April, extending the positive trend that has been developing since late 2012. ... Most indicators continue to signal further expansion in air travel," IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler said.