Air passenger traffic growth slows in March — IATA
Total capacity rose 5.9%, while the load factor, the measure of how full planes are, dropped 0.5 percentage points to 79.6% of capacity, IATA says
Geneva: Global demand for air travel rose 5.3 per cent in March — the slowest rate of growth since June 2015, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday. Total capacity, measured by the number of seats available and kilometres flown, rose 5.9 per cent, while the load factor, the measure of how full planes are, dropped 0.5 percentage points to 79.6 per cent of capacity, IATA said in its monthly traffic update. “It is premature to say whether this marks the end of the recent very strong results. We do expect further stimulus in the form of network expansion and declines in travel costs. However, the wider economic backdrop remains subdued”, said IATA’s Director General Tony Tyler.
