INTERNATIONAL. International passenger traffic surged in March and in the first quarter of 2012, according to the latest PaxFlash released by Airports Council International (ACI).
Total passenger traffic climbed by +6% in March, with international figures rising by +8.4% year-on-year. Q1 traffic was up by +6%, with international rising by +7.1%.
Of March traffic, ACI said: “While double-digit growth was observed in the regions of Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa, demand for air travel was significantly depressed in a number of countries in these regions during the same period of 2011 as a result of political and social unrest. Nevertheless, from April 2011 to March 2012, the total volume of passenger traffic has increased by more than +5% for the twelve month period. This is a strong indicator of resilience in demand for air transport over short-run political and economic shocks.”
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ACI World Director of Economics and Programme Development Dr. Rafael Echevarne noted: “Looking back over the last 15 months, overall growth trends in passenger traffic points to a passenger who is immune to adverse political events and economic risks. While certain regions experienced short run declines, demand for air transport services remained consistently strong over this period, with monthly year-over-year growth rates in the area of +5%.
“Air freight, as an indicator of global trade, is much more cyclical with respect to economic risk. Short-term prospects continue to be uncertain for air freight, particularly in the major markets of Europe which continue to experience recessionary type symptoms”.
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