IATA says strong demand momentum maintained in August – load factor reaches 84.7%

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic results for August showing a continuation of the strong growth in air travel demand for both domestic and international traffic. Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 7.1% compared to the year-ago period. August capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) increased by 5.9%, and load factor rose 0.9 percentage points to a record 84.7%. “August results continue the trend of strong demand for air travel, despite some softening in global economic growth, particularly in emerging markets,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO.