Global passenger numbers up in September

Dubai: Global passenger numbers increased in September showing signs of a more positive environment for air travel, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced on Thursday.

According to a press release, total revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) increased by 5.5 per cent compared to the same 2012 period, whilst capacity increased by 5.3 per cent. The load factor was 80.3 per cent, which was in line with September 2012 levels.

“The strong growth of recent months, coupled with the continuing improvements in air travel demand in September, suggests that there could be a further acceleration in air travel growth before the end of the year,” Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and Chief Executive Officer stated.

International passenger demand grew by 5.7 per cent but the increase in capacity means that the overall load factor remained unchanged in September compared to the same 2012 period.

The Middle East carriers continued to lead the way with 10.4 per cent traffic growth. This is expected to continue due to strong performances out of non-oil producing sectors and “robust” increases in new export orders in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Load factor in the Middle East was down 1.9 percentage points to 77.2 per cent due to a 13 per cent increase in capacity.