African airlines lead global passenger growth with 8.9 per cent rise - IATA
According to IATA, African flights were about 80 per cent full on average in August, marking the first time the region has reached that level, though still below Europe's 88 per cent.
African airlines recorded the fastest growth in passenger traffic worldwide in August, carrying 8.9 per cent more travellers than the same month last year, recent data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has shown.
The increase was the largest among all regions, lifting Africa ahead of the Middle East, where carriers grew 8.4 per cent and Latin America at 7.5 per cent. Similarly, airlines in the Asia Pacific posted a 6.1 per cent growth, while Europe and North America registered a 4.2 and 0.5 per cent growth, respectively.
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"African airlines recorded the fastest growth, while North American airlines lagged with marginal gains. African airlines recorded the highest YoY growth in passenger traffic among all regions, rising 8.9 per cent in August," the IATA report reads.
On the other hand, global passenger traffic increased by 4.6 per cent in August, up from 4.1 per cent in July. Similarly, seat occupancy jumped by 86 per cent, driven mainly by international flights, which grew by 6.6 per cent. Domestic travel jumped by 1.5 per cent in the period.
For African airlines, international traffic increased by 7.1 per cent in August while seat capacity grew at a slower rate of 5.3 per cent, which allowed carriers to sell a greater share of seats.
According to IATA, African flights were about 80 per cent full on average in August, marking the first time the region has reached that level, though still below Europe's 88 per cent.
Asia Pacific carriers contributed the largest share of global growth, accounting for 44 per cent of the total increase, with strong demand from China and Japan, helping lift the region. In contrast, North America was the only region to see weakening demand, weighed down by a 0.2 per cent decline in US domestic traffic.
"All regions saw higher Passenger Load Factor (PLF) YoY in August, except for airlines from North America and Europe. African airlines posted the lowest PLF at 80.2 per cent but notably surpassed the 80 per cent mark for the first time on record," IATA said.
The report also pointed to mixed results in domestic markets. Brazil saw the strongest rebound, up 12.7 per cent, thanks to tourism incentives, while Japan's domestic sector reached a record occupancy of nearly 90 per cent.
International travel remained the main growth driver, led by Asia Pacific at 9.8 per cent, the Middle East at 8.2 per cent, and Latin America at 9 per cent. North America lagged with just 1.8 per cent growth.
IATA expects flight volumes to continue rising in September and October, signalling steady momentum in global air travel.
"Looking ahead to October, flight volumes are expected to grow by 3.4 per cent YoY, supporting continued momentum in global air traffic over the coming months," IATA said.
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