The level of demand for global flights fell back in August although cheap fares are sustaining passenger growth.
The increase in demand for the month slowed to 4.6% from 6.4% in July while overall capacity increased by 5.8%, new Iata figures show.
The industry load factor slipped by 0.9 percentage points to 83.8%.
Iata director general and chief executive, Alexandre de Juniac, said: “Growth in passenger demand dipped to 4.6%. While that’s disappointing compared to the previous month’s performance, it is still healthy growth.
“And although terrorist attacks in Europe have dampened demand, the impact is ebbing.”
Looking forward, he added: “Lower air fares are a major factor sustaining demand for air travel. And airline profitability is stronger than ever as a result of a better industry structure and efficiency gains.
“But the lingering impact of terrorist attacks in Europe earlier in the year reminds us that the aviation industry is vulnerable to many external factors beyond its control.
“The risks – including the normal ups and downs of the business cycle – won’t go away.
“The industry has improved resilience along with its profitability. That will be critical to responding quickly should the business environment change.”