Demand for air travel up 6.5% in 2015 - IATA

epa05128695 The tail wings of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aircraft as a plane is loaded with meals on the tarmac before take off at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 27 January 2016. A piece of plane wreckage found in southern Thailand last weekend is not part of the still missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, according to Malaysia's Transport Ministry after investigation of the debris. The search continues in the Indian Ocean to find any trace of the aircraft that disappeared on 08 March 2014 with 239 people on board. EPA/BARBARA WALTON

KUALA LUMPUR: Demand for air travel rose by 6.5% in 2015 compared to 2014, said International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Thursday.

In a statement, IATA said this was 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%. 

While economic fundamentals were weaker in 2015 compared to 2014, IATA said, passenger demand was boosted by lower airfares. 

After adjusting for distortions caused by the rise of the US dollar, global airfares last year were approximately 5% lower than in 2014, it said.

“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,” said IATA’s director general and chief executive officer, Tony Tyler. 

Tyler said all regions experienced positive traffic growth in 2015 with carriers in the Asia-Pacific region accounted for one-third of the total annual increase in traffic. - Bernama