India saw worst fall globally in domestic air travel in February: IATA - Times of India

The author has posted comments on this articleSaurabh Sinha, TNN | Apr 3, 2013, 08.38PM IST NEW DELHI: India continues to remain the weakest performing domestic aviation market in the world. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Wednesday released global data for the month of February and the drop in domestic air travel demand was weakest in India where traffic fell by 9%, even as the average for the month for all countries was a rise of 3.9%. "In addition to the slowing economy, Indian airlines have been reducing capacity from previously unsustainable levels," the IATA report says for India. Even the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation's latest data showed that the month-on-month demand for domestic air travel has been falling. China's domestic traffic soared 20.2% compared to a year ago, reflecting "the impact of Chinese New Year-related travel, but also the continuing acceleration of the economy." US traffic dipped 0.6% in February and Japan's domestic market contracted 3.1%. Brazil saw traffic fall 4.3%. The international passenger market in February rose 3.6% compared to the year-ago period. IATA director-general and CEO Tony Tyler said: "February's performance was good news. Demand for air travel continues to rise on economic optimism and improved business confidence. But that comes with a few caveats. Much of the growth is concentrated on emerging markets. Europe continues to be a laggard." Capacity was up 1.0% on the previous February and the industry load factor stood at 77.1%. "Airlines are carefully managing capacity expansion, which is keeping the load factor at a record high. This is helping the industry to remain profitable despite persistently high oil prices," he added. But with India continuing to remain the weakest performing market globally for domestic aviation, the "good news" does not extend to the country. via Business - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGBscrZwAZ8Q8fFfM7wuxXZu9naHw&url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/India-saw-worst-fall-globally-in-domestic-air-travel-in-February-IATA/articleshow/19364970.cms

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