October saw sharp increase in passenger demand for African carriers
December 5, 2024
The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA’s) data for global passenger demand shows a sharp increase in traffic in October.
Total demand for passenger traffic across the continent was up 7.1% measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) compared to October 2023, while total capacity, measured in available seat kilometres was up 6.1% year-on-year. Overall, African airlines saw a 10.4% year-on-year increase in demand with capacity up 5.3% year-on-year.
International demand rose 9.5% in October compared to the same month last year while domestic demand rose 3.5% for the same period.
“Continued strong and stable demand is good news,” pointed out IATA director general, Willie Walsh. ‘But just as important is the steady improvement in load factors. It shows what a great job the industry is doing in flying people more efficiently.”
He also pointed to the rise in average seat factors from 67% in the 1990s to over 83% today. “Politicians thinking of trying to tax passengers off planes to reduce emissions would do well to note this. Even if fewer people fly because taxes make it too expensive, it doesn’t automatically mean reduced emissions because the planes will still fly, just with fewer passengers. That would reverse decades of hard won progress. We need to see the planes full to generate the economic and social benefits of travel with the most minimal emissions possible,” added Walsh.
Elsewhere in the global aviation market Asia Pacific also saw strong growth, achieving a 17.5% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 17.2% and the load factor was 82.9%. Meanwhile, North American carriers saw a 3.2% year-on-year increase in demand with capacity increasing 2.9% year-on-year. And Middle Eastern carriers saw a 2.2% year-on-year increase and 2.5% capacity increase.
In domestic markets, the US showed a slight decline, while all other key domestic markets showed stable growth.
