Middle East airlines report rise in passenger demand

Airlines in the Middle East reported a 9.6 percent year-on-year increase in passenger demand in June 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Capacity at regional carriers rose 9.4 percent year on year, while the load factor rose marginally to nearly 80 percent.

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International demand as a whole rose 12.3 percent and average load factor slipped slightly to 85 percent.

Asia-Pacific growth was the strongest with 22.6 percent, while European carriers reported 9.1 percent yearly growth in demand, and North America was up 6.6 percent.

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“Demand grew across all regions as the peak Northern summer travel season began in June,” said Willie Walsh, Iata’s director general. “And with overall capacity growth lagging demand, we saw a very strong average load factor of 85 percent achieved in both domestic and international operations.

“Operating with such high load factors is both good and challenging. It makes it even more important for all the stakeholders to operate with equal levels of
efficiency to minimise delays and get travellers to their destinations on schedule.”