IATA numbers show strong March

IATA reports that March international scheduled air traffic continued to show strengthening demand.

Compared to March 2009, passenger demand was up 10.3 per cent, while cargo demand grew 28.1 per cent.

Load factors remain at record highs, with March recording an average of 78 per cent.

Demand grew by 10.3 per cent in March, while capacity increases stood at two per cent, boosting the load factor and creating much tighter supply and demand conditions.

International freight markets are also experiencing tighter supply and demand conditions and a 28.1 per cent improvement in demand outpaced the 5.3 per cent capacity expansion in March.

This pushed the freight load factor to 57.1 per cent - the highest since November 2002 when international freight load factors stood at 58.8 per cent.

Asia-Pacific carriers posted strong demand growth of 12.6 per cent, against a capacity expansion of 1.3 per cent.

The strength of the rebound in the region’s economies is supporting Asia-Pacific’s demand improvement. China’s economy grew by 11.9 per cent in the first quarter while India’s economy is growing by seven per cent. There is also greater optimism for a return to economic growth in Japan.

Middle Eastern carriers recorded the strongest traffic growth at 25.9 per cent. While economic growth of five per cent in the region is supporting some of this increase, a large part is attributed to market share gains on long-haul markets, connecting passengers over Middle Eastern hubs. Load factors of 76.2 per cent were slightly below the global average.

In cargo terms, both export and import volumes are very strong in the emerging economies of Asia-Pacific (up34.1 per cent) and in Latin America which recorded the strongest growth at 47.9 per cent.

The strong traffic recovery is expected to show a dip in April as a result of the eruption of an Icelandic volcano in April.