Global air passenger traffic climbed 5.2 pc in 2013: IATA

Global air passenger traffic rose by 5.2 per cent in 2013 compared with the previous year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said today.
"We saw healthy demand growth in 2013 despite the very difficult economic environment. There was a clear improvement trend over the course of the year which bodes well for 2014," IATA chief Tony Tyler said in a statement.
Airline capacity rose by 4.8 per cent, while the average load factor, or percentage of seats occupied, was 79.5 per cent, a 0.4 point increase 2012.
Tyler said that improved load factors were a clear sign of the airline industry's continued efficiency drive.

Demand in international markets grew by 5.4 per cent, slightly ahead of the growth of 4.9 per cent seen for domestic air travel.
The strongest overall growth was recorded by carriers in the Middle East (11.4 per cent), followed by the Asia-Pacific region (7.1 per cent), Latin America (6.3 per cent) and Africa (5.2 per cent).

Europe's market growth was second from the bottom, with 3.8 per cent, marking a slowdown from the 5.3 per cent rate recorded in 2012.
North America saw the lowest rate of growth last year, at 2.3 per cent.
IATA has forecast that airlines are on course for record profits, citing sliding oil prices and mergers for the sector's improving outlook.

It has said profits are likely to have reached USD 12.9 billion in 2013, and could rise to USD 19.7 billion this year.
If the 2014 forecast turns out to be accurate, it would be the sector's highest-ever profit figure, according to IATA, though it stresses that such sums are divided among hundreds of airlines.