International passenger traffic increased by 8.2% last year, according to statistics released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The rebound in demand was even stronger in the cargo business where airlines saw a 20.6% increase in freight transported. That compares to capacity increased of 4.4% (for passengers) and 8.9% for cargo. The passenger load factor reached 78.4%, up 2,7 points. In cargo, the load factor improved by 5.2 points to 53.8%.
The recovery was slowed by severe winter weather in December, Geneva-based IATA stated. The organization believes total traffic levels were 1% lower because of the numerous flight cancellations in the period.
December air travel volumes were still higher than in early 2008 before the global recession and air freight was 1% higher.
“The world is moving again,” said IATA’s Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani. “After the biggest demand decline in the history of aviation in 2009, people started to travel and do business again in 2010. The challenge is to turn the demand for mobility into sustainable profits.”
Growth was strongest in the Middle East (17.8%), followed by Africa (12.9%), Asia (9%), Latin America (8.2%), North America (7.4%) and Europe (5.1%).
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