Global airline shares fall in July as investors take profit

Singapore

Amid profit-taking, global airline share prices slid 3.2 per cent in July in the first monthly fall since March, although the Asia-Pacific share price index did better with a more modest decline.

Shares in North American carriers dropped by as much as 7.6 per cent, while the European and Asia-Pacific share price indices both dipped by less than one per cent, according to the International Air Transport Association's (Iata) latest financial monitor.

Airline shares' monthly decline is likely to reflect a degree of profit-taking by investors, having risen by nearly 15 per cent over the previous three months, and having outperformed the global equ…