Aviation Industry Sends First Post-9/11 Recovery Signals

The world’s aviation industry has beginning to bounce back following the fallout of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. As a matter of fact, air traffic has been steadily on the rise during the first four months of the ongoing year, said Giovani Bisignani, director-general of the IATA.

In his remarks during the World Travel & Tour Conference recently held in Qatar’s Dohar, Mr. Bisignani explained the industry is hoping to close 2004 with $3 billion worth of gross benefits and the creation of over 3.3 million new jobs. The aviation sector endured a $4 billion loss last year and more than a quarter of a million employees have been laid off all around the globe since the dire occurrences of September 11, 2001.

Most first-third increases in the number of passengers, compared to the first four months of 2003, have been registered in the U.S. (up 9 percent), Europe (8 percent), Asia (6 percent) and the Middle East (3 percent).

IATA has a membership of 277 airlines from 150 countries and accounts for 95 percent of the 1.6 billion passengers that fly all around the globe every year.