The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic results for November 2013 showing a moderation in the pace of recent demand growth. Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 4.1 per cent compared to November 2012. This was slower than the 6.5 per cent year-over-year growth recorded in October.
In November capacity expanded by 6.1 per cent which out-paced demand growth. This led to a 1.4 percentage point slip in the load factor to 76.3 per cent.
Demand drivers such as consumer and business confidence, however, continue to improve. This suggests that growth may accelerate in the coming months.
“Demand growth hit a speed bump in November. But with continued modest improvements in economic conditions the outlook remains positive,” said Tony Tyler, Director General and CEO, IATA.
November 2013 international passenger demand was up 4.8 per cent compared to the year-ago period. Capacity rose 6.3 per cent versus November 2012 and load factor dipped 1.0 percentage points to 75.5 per cent. All regions except Africa recorded year-over-year increases in demand. However, compared to October, all regions reported slower demand growth for November.
Asia-Pacific carriers recorded an increase in demand of 5.5 per cent compared to November 2012. This was supported by the stronger performance of major economies such as China and Japan. With capacity up 6.8 per cent on the previous year, the load factor slipped 0.9percentage points to 75.4 per cent.
Demand for domestic travel rose 3.1 per cent in November 2013compared to the year-ago period, a significant deceleration versus the October increase of 5.9 per cent. There was significant variation in performance among markets. Total domestic capacity was up 5.6 per cent and load factor dipped 1.9 percentage points to 77.7 per cent.
On 1 January 2014, commercial aviation celebrated its 100th birthday. From one airplane, one passenger, one pilot and one route across Tampa Bay, Florida, the global airline industry now carries more than eight million passengers on more than 80,000 departures each day and supports 57 million jobs.
In a single century, the industry has had a transformative impact on the way in which we live and interact. And it has firmly established itself as a force for good in our world. But aviation is also a team effort. Ensuring that the second century is as successful as the first requires the cooperation of stakeholders in both the public and private sectors. As we reflect on an amazing first hundred years, I hope that governments will take stock of the wide-reaching economic and social benefits of aviation-enabled connectivity. These far outstrip any short-term boosts to treasury revenues generated through taxes or fees,” said Tyler.