Thursday, Aug 06, 2015

Dubai: Middle East airlines carried 10.5 per cent more passengers in June than a year ago despite part of the month being during Ramadan when demand for air travel softens.

Figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Thursday showed demand for travel increased in June but the percentage of seats filled dropped 5.7 percentage points to 74.3 per cent. The plunge was attributed to a 19.5 per cent increase in capacity.

Middle East passenger growth continues to exceed all other regions and the global average, which was 5.3 per cent in June. Globally, capacity increase by 6 per cent and the number of seats filled fell 0.5 percentage points to 80.4 per cent.

Demand among African airlines fell by 2 per cent, “due to negative economic developments,” IATA said. Capacity in the region fell by 1.7 per cent and load factor dropped by 0.2 percentage points to 67.1 per cent.

Cargo data

On Wednesday, IATA released June monthly cargo data that showed demand among Middle East carriers growing by 15.3 per cent, significantly higher than the 1.2 per cent year-on-year global increase in air freight carried. Middle East cargo capacity increased by 19.2 per cent Middle East cargo capacity increased by 19.2 per cent in June.

“Although some major economies in the region have seen slowdowns in non-oil sectors, economic growth remains generally robust, which is also helping to sustain demand for air freight,” IATA said.

Year to date cargo growth for the Middle East airlines is currently 14 per cent.

Staff Report

Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.