July air passenger traffic demand up 6.8 percent year-on-year: IATA

[September 06, 2017]  Global air travel demand in July rose 6.8 percent year on year, slowing from 7.7 percent growth recorded in June, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Wednesday.

A Learjet prepares to land at Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo February 12, 2015. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

"As the first full month in the summer peak travel season, July is a bellwether month, and demand continues to be very strong," IATA said in its monthly traffic update.

It said all regions reported solid or better growth in passenger volumes over the past year.

Capacity, measured in available seat kilometers, rose 6.1 percent and load factor rose by 0.6 percentage points to a July record of 84.7 percent.

"The stimulus effect of lower fares is softening in the face of rising cost inputs. This suggests a moderating in the supportive demand backdrop," IATA CEO Alexandre de Juniac said.

European carriers posted a 7.5 percent rise in traffic for July while Middle East carriers reported a 4.5 percent rise, up from the 3.6 percent growth in June.

This week, IATA reported that global air freight in July rose 11.4 percent marking the third double-digit monthly increase in a row.

(By Stratos Karakasidis; editing by Jason Neely)

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.