Air travel soared last year as more than 700 new routes were established globally
Air travel across the world soared last year, as new figures showed international passenger traffic rose 6.7 per cent in 2016.
And global demand for air travel finished the year on a particularly strong note, driven by double digit growth in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe. There was an industry-wide 8.8 per cent year-on-year increase in December, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Full-year demand increased by 6.3 per cent.
The annual global passenger traffic results were ahead of the 10-year average annual growth rate of 5.5 per cent.
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Middle East carriers had the strongest regional traffic growth for the fifth year on the trot, while international traffic for European carriers rose 4.8 per cent with the highest load factor among the regions at 82.8 per cent.
"Connectivity increased with the establishment of more than 700 new routes," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's director general and chief executive. "And a $44 fall in average return fares helped to make air travel even more accessible. As a result, a record 3.7bn passengers flew safely to their destination."
He said that the challenge for governments going forward is to work with the industry "to meet that demand with infrastructure that can accommodate the growth, regulation that facilitates growth and taxes that don’t choke growth".
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IATA, which represents 265 airlines representing 83 per cent of global air traffic, recently called for clarity over President Donald Trump's order banning travel to the US, by nationals of seven countries with Muslim majorities.
It said:
The order was issued without prior coordination or warning, causing confusion among both airlines and travellers.
It also placed burdens on airlines to comply with unclear requirements, to bear implementation costs and to face potential penalties for non-compliance.
We ask for early clarity from the US administration on the current situation.