Demand for air travel is the highest in five years, IATA reports

The IATA has announced the highest demand for air travel in the past five years. Global air travel demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), rose 6.5% for the year compared to 2014. “This the strongest result since the post-Global Financial Crisis rebound in 2010, and well above the 10-year average annual growth rate of 5.5%,” the airline organization states. Tony Tyler, Director General and CEO of IATA said of the results, “Last year’s very strong performance, against a weaker economic backdrop, confirms the strong demand for aviation connectivity. But even as the appetite for air travel increased, consumers benefitted from lower fares compared to 2014.” Annual airline capacity rose by 5.6% and passenger load factor climbed 0.6 percentage points to a record annual high of 80.3%. While all regions experienced growth in 2015, Asia-Pacific airlines accounted for one-third of global annual increase in traffic in 2015, with a demand increase of 8.2% compared to 2014. North American airlines’ demand rose by 3.2% in 2015, “Broadly unchanged from the growth achieved in 2014,” IATA reports.<br/>