Number of airline passengers grows 6.2 percent in July

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Airline passenger demand spiked 6.2 percent globally in July when compared to July 2017, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Year-over-year growth, though, dropped from June’s 8.1 percent.

In July, the load factor grew 0.6 percent, and the available seat kilometers increased 5.5 percent.

Record load traffic indicates airlines are becoming more efficient, IATA CEO and Director General Alexandre de Juniac said.

“The second half of the year got off to a solid start,” de Juniac said. “The strong demand we experienced in July is confirmation that summer is when people want to travel, to explore new places and to reunite with friends and family. Unfortunately, for air travelers in Europe, summer also brought delays and disappointment, while for other airlines it meant accepting schedule inefficiencies and longer flight times. That’s because air traffic capacity has not kept pace with demand and because some controllers used the opportunity of the peak traffic period to launch strikes and work slowdowns.”

In July, domestic travel increased 7.8 percent, and capacity grew 6.9 percent while international travel rose 5.3 percent and capacity increased 4.7 percent. Domestic travel was most active in China, India, and Russia.

International travel was strongest among Asian-Pacific and African airlines.