IATA passenger figures for the global aviation industry for November

Date added: 30 December, 2009

Geneva – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported international scheduled
traffic results for November 2009. Passenger demand was up by 2.1% compared to
November 2008 while freight demand recorded a 9.5% improvement. Passenger load
factors remain at pre-crisis levels of 75.4% while freight load factors stood
at 56.6%.

The improvement trends for both passenger and freight are being exaggerated by
the sharp fall in demand experienced during the second half of 2008. The following
alternative measurements provide perspective:

• Passenger demand is 6.4% better than the low point reached in the first quarter
  of 2009, but still 6% below the peak levels seen in early 2008. Comparing to October
  (and adjusting for seasonality), passenger demand in November actually fell by
  0.7%, primarily due to continued weakness in North America and Europe.  
• Freight demand is 20% better than the low point in December 2008, but still 10%
  below the peak levels seen in early 2008. Comparing to October (and adjusting
  for seasonality), freight demand grew by 4.7%, largely on the strength of markets
  connected to Asia Pacific.

"Demand continues to improve, but we still have a lot of ground still to recover.
We cannot anticipate any significant improvement in yields in the coming months.
So, conserving cash, controlling costs and carefully matching capacity to demand
remain at the keys to survival," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General
and CEO.

International Passenger Demand

Improvements in passenger demand contain significant variances by region.

• In November, demand growth was recorded by carriers from Asia-Pacific (+5.1%), Latin America (+8.2%) and the Middle East (+16.5%). Asian traffic growth is driven most directly by economic recovery (with
  the exception of Japan). Asian economic growth is fuelling strong demand for commodities
  in both Latin America and Africa. While Latin American carriers are benefitting with business growth, a 2.1%
  fall in African traffic indicates a loss in market share. Middle East growth of
  16.5% can also be related to the strength of Asia and the ability of Middle East
  carriers to facilitate connection traffic to the region through Middle Eastern
  hubs.
• European and North American carriers both experienced a 3.0% fall in November traffic. Unemployment concerns
  continue to negatively impact consumer confidence in both markets. Compared to
  last November, European carriers have cut capacity by 3.9% and North American
  carriers by 6.7%. While this has boosted load factors, capacity adjustments may
  also be weighing on growth rates.

International Freight Demand

• The bulk of the air freight markets connect Asia. The 14.5% growth in freight
  demand for Asia-Pacific’s carriers is linked to the success of stimulus packages
  in driving industrial output and broader economic recovery within the region.
  
• Carriers in other regions also saw strong growth in freight as follows: Africa
  (+8.1%), Latin America (+17.5%), Middle East (+21.4%) and North America (+13.6%).
  
• European carriers were the only group to post a drop in traffic, recording a
  5.6% fall in demand. This reflects the lingering economic malaise in the region.
  

• All figures are provisional and represent total reporting at time of publication
  plus estimates for missing data.     Historic figures may be revised.
• International passenger traffic market shares by region in terms of RPK are:
  Europe 34.9%, Asia-Pacific 29.6%, North America 17.8%, Middle East 11.4%, Latin
  America 4.4%, Africa 1.8%
• International freight traffic market shares by region in terms of FTK are: Asia-Pacific
  44.6%, Europe 25.5%, North America 16.6%, Middle East 10.2%, Latin America 2.2%,
  Africa 1.0%

http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/2009-12-30-01.htm

Posted: Wednesday, December 30th, 2009. Filed in General News.