January 30, 2019

Airports Council International Finds Airline Passenger Traffic Finished the Year with Stable Growth

Airports Council International (ACI) Word found that, despite small monthly fluctuations, the general passenger traffic growth trend between August and November in 2018 was quite stable, hovering between 5% and 5.5%. ACI recorded a 5.0% increase in global passenger traffic in November as the year drew towards its conclusion.

Air freight volumes showed significant volatility during the period August to November with year-over-year figures ranging from 3.7% in October to -0.3% in November. The gains produced by the industry in the first half of 2018 have been moderating since, with year-to-date growth reaching 3.6% in November.

ACI collects and analyzes data from a significant sample of airports that provide regular reports on month-by-month passenger and freight statistics; this forms part of the world's most comprehensive source for airport data.

"Following the strong results in 2017 during which passenger growth was recorded at 7.5%, it looks as if the industry will record similarly robust but moderating results in 2018," said Angela Gittens, Director General of ACI World. "By the end of November, the year-to-date result for passenger traffic was recorded at 6%. As regards freight, volatility in the market between August and November shows that the trade war between the world's two largest economies has certainly tested the industry this year and the final impact on global supply chains remaining uncertain.

"The outlook for the industry's performance this year remains uncertain. The United States' federal government is suffering from a partial shutdown, China's diplomatic relationships are under tension with several major Western countries, the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union is still being negotiated, and geopolitical tensions are high in the Middle East, with the Qatar crisis remaining unresolved, all of which could have a significant impact on passenger and traffic growth in 2019."

Passenger traffic

In August, passenger traffic grew by 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Both domestic and international segments performed comparably, at 5.2% and 5.6% respectively. Although regional heterogeneity was present, with figures ranging from 3.7% (for Latin America-Caribbean) to 7% (for Africa), most regions performed well during the period, standing close to the global industry figure.

The trend in September remained similar to August's, although the Middle East under-performed slightly, posting a 1.6% growth figure for its total passenger traffic compared to the global industryÕs 5.1%. Both international and domestic segments of the industry produced comparable results, with 5.5% and 4.8% respectively on a year-over-year basis. The month marked a moderation in Asia-Pacific's results, its passenger traffic gaining 3.4% versus 6.5% in August.

The international market gained over the domestic market in October, with the global industry posting 6.6% and 4.6% for the two segments on a year-over-year basis. Total industry growth reached 5.5% during the month. Europe performed particularly well compared to the two other major regional markets, posting 6.8% in total traffic growth, at least 2 percentage points above Asia-Pacific (4.8%) and North America (3.6%).

November's global passenger traffic trend saw a continuation of October's shift in favor of the international market; it grew by 6.8% on a year-over-year basis, compared to 3.9% for the domestic market. The global result was in line with prior months, gaining 5%.

Year-to-date figures were closer for the two segments, with the international market having grown 6.7% over the year, compared to 5.4% for the domestic market. Nearly all regions had robust year-to-date growth rates, with only the Middle East (2.1%) hovering below 5%. Asia-Pacific, despite showing a moderation in growth rates in the last four months, stood at 6.8% (from 8% in August). Europe and North America's year-to-date have been remarkably stable for the last months, at 6.2% and 5.1% respectively by November's end.

Summary Worldwide Traffic Results

Copyright 2019 Airports Council International (ACI). All rights reserved. From https://aci.aero.

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