Fri, Jan 30, 2004
Fell 2.4 Percent in 2003
As one would expect,
war, SARS and a sagging economy did not prove well for the
international aviation market. So, it comes as no surprise the
official traffic numbers slipped in 2003.
On Thursday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA)
reported international air travel declined 2.4 percent in 2003
after a narrow gain a year earlier.
The Geneva-based association was upbeat about 2004, however,
forecasting traffic growth of 7-8 percent after strong recovery in
the last quarter of 2003.
"The war in Iraq, SARS and a world-wide economic slowdown
produced a dismal environment for the air transport industry in the
first half of 2003," IATA said in a statement.
As traffic fell many carriers cut capacity to lower costs but
the IATA said overall capacity rose 0.1 percent.
"As these negative factors gradually disappeared and the airlines'
vigorous cost-cutting measures took effect we saw a robust traffic
recovery in the last quarter," it said.
"The dynamic traffic growth experienced in the second half of
2003 bids well for a healthy trend in 2004 supporting a rebirth of
airline profitability," it said.
Passenger traffic rose 5.2 percent in December though the
year-on-year rise was slower than a 5.9 percent rise in
November.
The Middle East led growth in December, rising 27.7 percent.
The IATA has 275 member carriers from 136 countries representing
over 98 percent of scheduled international traffic but excludes
domestic routes.
More News
Aero Linx: Model Aeronautical Association of Australia MAAA clubs are about fun flying, camaraderie and community. For over 75 years, the MAAA has been Australia’s largest fl>[...]
Touchdown Zone Lighting Two rows of transverse light bars located symmetrically about the runway centerline normally at 100 foot intervals. The basic system extends 3,000 feet alon>[...]
“Discovery and innovation are central to our mission at Virgin Galactic. We’re excited to build on our successful record of facilitating scientific experiments in subor>[...]
How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]
Student Pilot Reported That During Rotation, “All Of A Sudden The Back Of The Plane Kicked To The Right..." Analysis: The student pilot reported that during rotation, “>[...]