Airline profit expectations remain strong and in line with levels seen since April 2013, a poll of carrier financial chiefs shows.
The quarterly Iata survey indicates confidence that air transport volumes will continue to grow over the next 12 months.
The results of the January survey show that a majority of respondents expect to see improvements in profitability.
“The positive outlook has been broadly stable since the April 2013 survey, and in January 2014 over 70% of respondents were expecting profits to improve over the coming 12 months,” Iata said.
A majority (72%) of respondents expect passenger travel to expand over the year ahead, but at a slightly slower pace than the last survey in October (83%).
Airlines took on more staff in the last quarter of 2013, consistent with an improvement in financial performance. This trend is expected to continue in the year ahead.