GENEVA, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Global air passenger traffic data for October showed that demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers) rose 6.3 percent compared to the same month last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Thursday.
It rebounded from 5.5 percent growth in September, which was an eight-month low.
Capacity also grew 6.3 percent, while load factor was flat at 81.1 percent, matching last year's record for the month.
"October's healthy performance is reassuring after the slower demand growth in September - some of which was attributable to weather-related disruptions," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's Director General and CEO.
He said, however, that traffic growth has moderated compared to earlier in 2018, indicating a more mixed economic backdrop and reduced demand stimulation from lower fares.
October international passenger demand climbed 6.3 percent compared to October 2017, up from 5.1 percent growth in September.
Airlines in all regions recorded gains, said IATA.
European carriers' October demand climbed 7.5 percent over the same month in 2017, the most robust growth among regions and well up on the 5.3 percent increase for September.
IATA cautioned, however, that given mixed economic signals for the region, it's unclear if the rebound is sustainable.
Asia-Pacific airlines' traffic rose 5.8 percent compared a year earlier, up from 5.4 percent year-over-year growth in September.
Structural changes, including rising living standards in the region, as well as demand stimulating network changes, are supporting underlying passenger demand.
North American airlines' traffic climbed 5.6 percent in October compared to the year-ago period, up from 4.9 percent growth in September.
Strong momentum in the U.S. economy is helping to drive robust international demand, said IATA.
Latin American airlines were the only carriers to experience a growth slowdown as demand climbed 5.9 percent against 6.3 percent in September.
African airlines' traffic climbed 6.8 percent year-on-year in October, up from 6 percent annual growth in September.
The upward trend in passenger demand remains strong notwithstanding economic challenges for the continent's largest economies, Nigeria and South Africa, said IATA.
Middle East airline experienced a 4.4 percent demand increase in October compared to last year, slowest among the regions for the seventh time in a year.
