Date: 8 January 2004
IATA International Traffic Statistics: November 2003
Provisional results for November 2003 show a sustained increase in industry traffic for a third consecutive month. Both passenger traffic and capacity indicate a positive year-on-year trend. The freight market has continued to hover at a 2% growth rate in the last four months. It is anticipated that the industry will close out the 2003 year at a slightly lower passenger level than seen in 2002. November 2003 saw scheduled passenger traffic grow by 5.9% year-on-year (in RPK terms) as compared to an increase of 2.5% in October.
Asia-Pacific carriers are recovering from the SARS outbreak having recorded positive figures for a second consecutive month. Both RPKs and ASKs are up, 3.9% and 1.7% respectively. The North American region has had its first upward climb in passenger traffic since January 2003 with reported RPKs 2.7% greater than for the same month last year. European airlines continued the encouraging growth trend started in July with November RPKs up 8.0%. The most impressive performance again came from Middle East carriers where RPKs grew 22.9%.
|
|
November 2003
(% change over Nov 2002)
|
Year-to-date Results
Jan through Nov 2003
|
|
Carriers
|
RPK
|
ASK
|
FTK
|
ATK
|
RPK
|
ASK
|
FTK
|
ATK
|
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
EUROPE
|
8.0
|
3.8
|
3.9
|
3.9
|
1.2
|
2.3
|
2.3
|
2.7
|
|
N AMERICA
|
2.7
|
-4.4
|
-4.1
|
-0.6
|
-8.0
|
-7.7
|
5.4
|
-2.5
|
|
S AMERICA
|
10.9
|
-0.9
|
-0.1
|
0.2
|
9.7
|
1.8
|
5.4
|
3.8
|
|
ASIA PACIFIC
|
3.9
|
1.7
|
0.1
|
4.4
|
-10.4
|
-3.0
|
5.0
|
2.4
|
|
MIDDLE EAST
|
22.9
|
23.7
|
17.6
|
26.9
|
12.3
|
17.1
|
16.1
|
19.7
|
|
AFRICA
|
3.9
|
5.0
|
10.8
|
11.4
|
0.2
|
3.3
|
10.2
|
5.9
|
|
OVERALL
|
5.9
|
2.0
|
2.4
|
4.1
|
-3.3
|
-0.4
|
4.8
|
2.4
|
;
Notes for editors:
1. Explanation of measurements:
a. RPK: Revenue Passenger Kilometres measures actual passenger traffic
b. ASK: Available Seat Kilometres measures available passenger capacity
c. FTK: Freight Tonne Kilometres measures actual freight traffic
d. ATK: Available Tonne Kilometres measures available total capacity
2. IATA statistics cover international scheduled air traffic; domestic traffic is not included.
3. All figures are provisional and represent total reporting at time of publication plus estimates for missing data.