Airline industry says demand up 5% in June compared to 2018

BERLIN – The International Air Transport Association says passenger traffic grew by a “solid” 5% in June compared with the same month last year, despite the impact of U.S.-China trade tensions.

The airline industry group said Thursday that June also saw a record load factor, a gauge of the percentage of seats filled per flight, for the month of 84.4%.

The lowest passenger growth was seen in North America, where carriers recorded increased demand of 3.5%. Geneva-based IATA said the modest increase reflects U.S.-China trade tensions, which have also affected air travel in Asia.

Airline traffic has been rising steadily in recent years, fueling calls for measures to curb its growing share of global greenhouse gas emissions.