Air Passenger Traffic Soared Worldwide in 2017

Despite a rise in the number of planes and seats in service, a new study from an airline trade group revealed global passenger traffic increased in 2017.

According to the International Air Transport Association, airlines across the world reported demand rose 7.6 percent over the previous year, which is well above the 10-year average annual growth rate of 5.5 percent.

The capacity for 2017 increased 6.3 percent and load factor climbed 0.9 percent to a record calendar-year high of 81.4 percent. In North America alone, airline traffic rose 4.8 percent, capacity climbed 4.5 percent and the load factor jumped to 81.7 percent.

In addition to the North American growth, passenger numbers also grew in other regions, including Asia-Pacific (9.4 percent), Latin America (9.3 percent), Europe (8.2 percent), Africa (7.5 percent) and the Middle East (6.6 percent).

Source: Travel Pulse