International Air Passengers Rise 5.4 Pct In January

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 (Bernama) -- The international passenger traffic rose 5.4 per cent in January compared with the same month last year, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA). In a statement Wednesday, it said the capacity rose six per cent and load factor slipped 0.5 percentage point to 78 per cent. "All regions recorded year-over-year increases in demand except for Africa," it said. The trade association of the world's airlines said the global passenger traffic results for January 2015 rose 4.6 per cent compared to January 2014. It said this was in line with a slower start to the year compared to 2014 full-year growth of 5.9 per cent. "However, the results were likely affected by the timing of the Chinese New year in Asia, which occurred one month later this year compared to 2014," it said. IATA said although the January traffic did not maintain the rate of growth attained in 2014, it saw healthy albeit slightly slower growth in the demand for air services. "While January was a relatively positive start for the year, we cannot look ahead without seeing some significant risk factors in the macro-economic and political environment," it said. -- BERNAMA