IATA: Passenger Traffic Growth Slows, Freight Remains Flat

Dec. 1, 2005
According to IATA statistics, Middle Eastern carriers led October growth at 15.1 percent, while North American carriers posted October growth of 5.5 percent.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Wednesday industry traffic results for the first 10 months of 2005 which show a weakening trend for both cargo and passenger traffic.

"October passenger traffic grew 6 percent compared to the same month in the previous year.

This is considerably slower than the 7. 9 percent recorded for the January-October period and is the slowest single-month growth recorded since January 2004," IATA said in a statement.

October load factor was 74.8 percent, it added.

According to IATA statistics, Middle Eastern carriers led October growth at 15.1 percent, while North American carriers posted October growth of 5.5 percent, sharply down from the 9.1 percent recorded in year-on-year comparisons September.

Cargo traffic in October was nearly flat at 1.1 percent, while year-to-date growth for January-October recorded a 2.6 percent increase. This is well below the 13.4 percent growth recorded for 2004, said the agency.

As to cargo traffic, Middle-Eastern carriers recorded the strongest October growth at 16.8 percent, Asian carriers saw October growth of 0.2 percent, while North American and European carriers saw declines of 0.5 percent and 0.1 percent respectively.

IATA, with its executive office in Geneva, brings together approximately 265 airlines, including the world's largest. Flights by these airlines comprise 94 percent of all international scheduled air traffic.

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