International airlines saw healthy demand growth in 2013 despite the very difficult economic environment, says Tony Tyler, the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) director general and CEO.
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Full-year traffic results for 2013 showed a 5.2 percent increase in passenger demand compared to 2012. The 2013 performance aligns with the average annual growth rate of the past 30 years, Tyler said. Capacity rose 4.8 percent and load factor averaged 79.5 percent up 0.4 percentage points over 2012.
Demand in international markets (5.4 percent) expanded at a slightly faster rate than domestic travel (4.9 percent), IATA reports. Strongest overall growth (domestic and international combined) was recorded by carriers in the Middle East (11.4 percent) followed by Asia-Pacific (7.1 percent), Latin America (6.3 percent) and Africa (5.2 percent). The slowest growth was in the developed markets of North America (2.3 percent) and Europe (3.8 percent).
"There was a clear improvement trend over the course of the year which bodes well for 2014. Last year’s demand performance demonstrates the essential and growing role that aviation-enabled connectivity plays in our world. And with system-wide load factors at 79.5 percent it is also clear that airlines are continuing to drive efficiencies to an ever-higher level,” said Tyler.
Overall domestic air travel demand rose grew by 4.9 percent in 2013 compared to 2012, up from 4.0 percent in 2012 versus 2011. Capacity rose 4.6 percent and load factor climbed 0.4 percentage points to 79.9 percent. All markets recorded positive gains, with the strongest growth occurring in China and Russia, IATA said.
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US domestic traffic expanded by 1.9 percent in 2013 (up from 0.8 percent in 2012), while capacity grew at the same rate, with the result that load factor was flat at 83.8 percent, the highest for any market. The improvement in demand compared to 2012 reflects sustained increases in consumer confidence throughout the year as well as rising employment activity, particularly over recent months, IATA said.