The International Air Transport Association (IATA) yesterday, announced that global passenger traffic results for September 2018 show that demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs) rose 5.5 per cent compared to the same month in 2017.
IATA however described the figure as a slowdown from the 6.4 per cent growth recorded in August year-over-year.
“Capacity climbed 5.8 per cent and load factor slipped for the first time in eight months, down 0.3 percentage point compared to the year-earlier period, to 81.4 per cent,” IATA said. It also disclosed that Africa airlines posted a 6.0per cent rise in passenger traffic results in September, down from the 6.8 per cent posted in August 2018.
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“At the same time in Africa, capacity rose 4.9per cent helping to edge-up the average load factor (the percentage of capacity taken up by the market) by 0.8 of a percentage point to 74 per cent,” IATA said.
“The healthy growth is taking place against an increasingly challenging economic backdrop for the region’s largest economies, South Africa and Nigeria,” IATA added.
“While September’s traffic growth was in line with the long-term average, it represents a moderation compared to recent months.
This is likely owing to the anticipated reduced demand boost from lower airfares due to rising airline cost pressures, particularly fuel. Heightened uncertainty about trade policies and mounting protectionist policies may also be having an impact,” said IATA’s Director General and CEO, Mr. Alexandre de Juniac.