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ME carriers see air travel demand increase in Nov 2019

Middle Eastern airlines posted a 7.4 per cent increase in international traffic demand in November, up from a 5.6 per cent rise in October, new figures showed.
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Middle Eastern airlines posted a 7.4 per cent increase in international traffic demand in November, up from a 5.6 per cent rise in October, new figures showed.

Capacity was flat, and load factor soared 5.0 percentage points to 73.2 per cent. The strong performance was driven by robust demand on to/from Asia and Europe markets, according to data released by the International Air Transport Association (Iata).

Globally, November international passenger demand rose 3.1 per cent, compared to November 2018, which was a marginal increase from the 3.0 per cent year-over-year growth achieved in October. All regions recorded traffic increases, except for Latin America. Capacity climbed 0.7 per cent, and load factor increased 1.8 percentage points to 80.1 per cent.

Demand for domestic travel climbed 3.5 per cent in November compared to November 2018, which was a marginal decline from 3.7 per cent annual growth recorded in October. Capacity rose 3.8 per cent and load factor slipped 0.2 percentage point to 82.8 per cent.

Global passenger traffic results for November 2019 showed that demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 3.3 per cent compared to the same month in 2018. This was unchanged from October’s result and below the long-term trend.
Capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) increased by 1.8 per cent, and load factor climbed 1.1 percentage points to 81.1 per cent, which was a record for any November. All regions saw annual increases in traffic.

“November’s moderate result reflects the continuing influence of slower economic activity, geopolitical tensions and other disruptions, including strikes in Europe. On the plus side, positive developments in the US-China trade talks, in tandem with signs of improving business confidence, could support an uptick in travel demand. In the meantime, continued modest capacity growth is helping to maximise asset efficiency,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Iata’s director general and CEO. - TradeArabia News Service

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