AVIATION INDUSTRY SHOWS ENCOURAGING GROWTH, SAYS IATA

By Neville D'Cruz

MELBOURNE, March 2 (Bernama) -- International air passenger traffic grew 6.4 per
cent in January compared with a year earlier, with Asia, Latin America and the
Middle East lifting demand.

Cargo demand also grew 28.3 per cent in January compared with the
corresponding month in 2009, and was up 3.0 per cent from December, as
businesses moved to restock inventories, said the International Air Transport
Association (IATA) in a statement on Tuesday.

"We are starting to see some encouraging signs in demand, albeit, with large
differences among the regions," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA Director-General.

A recovery in passenger traffic was notable among Asian-Pacific carriers, which
posted 6.5 per cent growth year-on-year.

Compared with the lowest point reached in 2009, demand for these carriers has
risen 31 per cent.

In the Middle East, demand soared 23.6 per cent in January compared with January
2009, while in Latin America growth was also a robust 11 per cent.

Carriers in North America and Europe recorded a more muted recovery with
passenger traffic demand up just 2.1 per cent and 3.1 per cent respectively.

"This reflects the jobless recovery from the recession in which consumers are
focused on paying down debt.

"World airlines suffered their biggest traffic decline since 1945 last year in
the economic crisis, making 2009 the "worst year the industry has ever seen,"
IATA said, adding that recovery in 2010 would be slow.

In addition, it had forecast a US$5.6 billion loss for airlines in 2010.
-- BERNAMA