Global total air passenger traffic grew by 6.1%, year-on-year, in February, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported. (IATA is the global representative body for the airline industry.) International demand was up by 5.9%, and domestic demand by 6.3%. Total passenger capacity increased by 5.6%, international capacity rose by 5.3% and domestic capacity by 6.2%, over the same period.

Regarding load factors, the total global figure was 81.4%, which was a 0.3 percentage point increase, year-on-year. The international load factor was 80.5%, which was a year-on-year rise of 0.5 of a percentage point. The domestic load factor was 82.8%, which was 0.1 of a percentage point up, year-on-year.

“February was a strong month, showing that the fundamentals for demand growth were in place for a positive year,” highlighted IATA director-general Willie Walsh. “However, without knowing the length and intensity of the war in the Middle East, it is impossible to quantify the full impact that it will have on airline prospects. But some things are already clear. Fuel costs have risen sharply. With tight capacity and thin margins, air fares are already rising. Capacity deployment is also adjusting, particularly for traffic to, from or through the Middle East, or in areas where fuel supply is an issue. Capacity growth scheduled for March, for example, has eased to 3.3% from earlier predictions of more than 5%.”

The region that saw the strongest year-on-year growth in passenger demand in February was Africa, at 11.9%. It was followed by Latin America and the Caribbean, at 9.2%. Then came the Asia-Pacific (9.1%), Europe (4.9%), North America (2.8%) and the Middle East (0.8%).

In terms of just international demand, the region that saw the greatest year-on-year increase was Latin America, at 13.5%. Then came the Asia-Pacific, at 8.6%, and thereafter Europe (5%) North America (also 5%), Africa (4.8%) and the Middle East (0.9%).

Regarding domestic air travel, the six major markets monitored by IATA are Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan and the US. Together, these countries represented 79.4% of global domestic air travel demand. Brazil saw the strongest year-on-year increase in demand in February, at 12.6%, followed just a whisker behind by China, at 12.5%. Then came the US (1.5%), Japan (0.8%) and India (0.6%). Australia recorded a year-on-year contraction in demand of -1.1%.