Global airlines started the year with a strong increase in demand but Iata today warned that the sector remains vulnerable to “external shocks.”
International passenger demand was up 7.8% in January over the same month last year.
Airlines in all regions recording growth, with the strongest gains coming from the Middle East.
Capacity rose 6.8% and load factor climbed 0.7 percentage points to 78.3%.
Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 8% compared to January 2013, an improvement over the December growth of 6.8% and the full year 2013 growth of 5.2%.
January capacity increased 6.7%, pushing load factor up 0.9 percentage points to 78.1%.
Iata director general and chief executive Tony Tyler said: “2014 is off to a strong start, with travel demand accelerating over the healthy results achieved in 2013, in line with stronger growth in advanced economies and emerging market regions.”
But he cautioned that aviation remains “highly vulnerable to external shocks”.
Without referring to any specific conflict, Tyler said: “Rising geopolitical tensions around the world have the potential to cast shadows on this optimistic outlook.”