AFP, Geneva :
Global air passenger traffic jumped 6.5 percent in 2015 compared to a year earlier, boosted largely by lower air fares, IATA said Thursday.
“Last year’s very strong performance, against a weaker economic backdrop, confirms the strong demand for aviation connectivity,” said Tony Tyler, head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Last year’s hike marked the strongest rise in global air passenger traffic since the global post-financial crisis rebound in 2010, and was well above the 10-year average annual growth rate of 5.5 percent, IATA said.
One thing that helped boost demand last year was a five-percent average drop in airfares compared to 2014, the organisation said in a statement.
Airline capacity meanwhile rose 5.6 percent, while the average load factor, or percentage of seats occupied, climbed 0.6 points to a record annual high of 80.3 percent.
Carriers in the Asia Pacific region accounted for a full third of the total annual increase in traffic, IATA said.
Growth in international traffic was particularly high, up 6.5 percent, with all regions seeing a rise in demand.
The strongest overall growth was recorded by carriers in the Middle East with a 10.5 percent hike, followed by Latin America, at 9.3 percent, and the Asia-Pacific region at 8.2 percent.
Global air passenger traffic jumped 6.5 percent in 2015 compared to a year earlier, boosted largely by lower air fares, IATA said Thursday.
“Last year’s very strong performance, against a weaker economic backdrop, confirms the strong demand for aviation connectivity,” said Tony Tyler, head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Last year’s hike marked the strongest rise in global air passenger traffic since the global post-financial crisis rebound in 2010, and was well above the 10-year average annual growth rate of 5.5 percent, IATA said.
One thing that helped boost demand last year was a five-percent average drop in airfares compared to 2014, the organisation said in a statement.
Airline capacity meanwhile rose 5.6 percent, while the average load factor, or percentage of seats occupied, climbed 0.6 points to a record annual high of 80.3 percent.
Carriers in the Asia Pacific region accounted for a full third of the total annual increase in traffic, IATA said.
Growth in international traffic was particularly high, up 6.5 percent, with all regions seeing a rise in demand.
The strongest overall growth was recorded by carriers in the Middle East with a 10.5 percent hike, followed by Latin America, at 9.3 percent, and the Asia-Pacific region at 8.2 percent.
