Global air traffic, measured in RPK, was up 6.2 percent in July compared to the same month the previous year.

This is according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The previous month, growth was 7.8 percent.

During the month of July, capacity, measured in ASK, increased by 5.5 percent while the load factor was up 0.6 percentage points to 85.2 percent.

”"The industry recorded a month of strong traffic growth. And the record-high cabin factor shows that airlines are becoming increasingly efficient in matching capacity to demand," IATA writes in a comment.

However, continued rising costs, particularly fuel prices, are seen as a continuing problem that limits the incentives from lower airfares. Growth this year is therefore expected to slow compared to 2017.

Broken down by region, Asia-Pacific grew the most with an RPK of 9.4 percent, while Africa was the weakest with 3.5 percent.

Source: finwire