Global air passenger traffic demand up 5.8% in Oct - IATA

[MONTREAL] Global demand for air travel rose 5.8 per cent in October as strong growth for Middle East and Asia Pacific airlines offset slower growth at North American carriers, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Wednesday.

Capacity measured in available seat kilometres rose 6.3 per cent, causing load factors - a measure of how full planes are - to drop 0.4 percentage points to 80.1 per cent, IATA said in its monthly traffic update. "While the negative traffic impact from terror attacks and political instability in parts of the world has receded, the long downward trend in yield - which helped to stimulate travel - has levelled off," IATA head Alexandre de Juniac said in a statement.

REUTERS