'Worst may be over' for air traffic - airline industry

Air passenger traffic fell 3.1 per cent in April, slowing from double-digit falls in the two preceding months, the airline industry association IATA said Wednesday, noting that the "worst may be over".

However, the International Air Transport Association warned that the Easter holiday traffic may have lent a boost of "at least two per cent" and that recovery may still take a while to come.

"The worst may be over. However, we have not yet seen any signs that recovery is imminent," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general.

He added in a statement that as the decline in passenger demand still outstripped the capacity cuts made by airlines, therefore yields have not improved.

Asia Pacific carriers still saw the biggest falls in demand, with 8.6 per cent drop in passenger traffic for April.

Cross-Atlantic traffic meanwhile benefitted from sharp discounts offered by airlines. North American airlines posted a fall of 13.4 per cent in March, but saw the decline reduced to 4.2 per cent in April.

European carriers posted a decline of 2.7 per cent in April as opposed to a fall of 11.6 per cent in March.

Middle Eastern and Latin American carriers bucked the negative trend, recording demand growth of 11.2 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively in April.

Air freight meanwhile stayed weak, falling 21.7 per cent during the month year-on-year.

IATA noted that this marked the fifth consecutive month that cargo has fallen in the 20 per cent range, therefore suggesting that freight demand has "found a solid floor".