ME airlines’ traffic up 14% in Apr

Middle Eastern airlines saw a 14.2% YoY rise in demand in April with capacity increasing 9.9% and load factor increasing 3 percentage point to 79.3% compared to 2023, finds IATA.

TT Bureau

During the month of April, total demand, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs), was up 11 per cent compared to the same month in 2023. Total capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), was up 9.6 per cent. The load factor was 82.4 per cent (+1 ppt). International demand rose 15.8 per cent; capacity was up 14.8 per cent and the load factor improved to 82.2 per cent (+0.7 ppt). Domestic demand rose 4 per cent; capacity was up 2.1 per cent and the load factor was 82.6 per cent (+1.5 ppt).

“Passenger demand has been growing for 36 consecutive months. As we enter the peak northern summer travel season, there is every reason to feel optimistic for a strong summer with airlines offering a wide range of travel options. 97 per cent of passengers asked in our recent survey said they were satisfied with their last flight. Every part of the travel value chain needs to be focused on maintaining that,” said Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA.

The IATA Passenger Survey also revealed 88 per cent agreement that “air travel makes my life better”. “That is an important motivation as our members gather for the IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Dubai next week. This strong endorsement of the power of air connectivity to transform lives and boost economies brings with it a challenge that will also be on the minds of all attending. It is critically important that we achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 so that people can continue to rely on all the benefits of air travel,” said Walsh.