International air passenger demand up 5.9 pct in Aug: IATA

[BERLIN] Global air traffic demand rose 5.9 per cent in August, airline industry body IATA said on Thursday, but it added the Ebola crisis had taken on a "new dimension"with the first confirmed diagnosis in the United States.

All regions reported growth in demand and the overall load factor increased 0.3 percentage points to 83.9 per cent, the International Air Transport Association said in a statement. "We should, however, keep an eye on potential downside risks," IATA Director General Tony Tyler said in a statement.

He reiterated that the threat to travellers from Ebola was very low and that the industry was working closely with health authorities to manage the risks.

Mr Tyler said while Europe had seen traffic rise 6.1 per cent so far this year, there were questions over how long the trend could continue given the continent's increasingly worrying economic outlook. - Reuters