International passenger demand fell by 5.6% in January 2009 compared to the same month in 2008, according to new figures from the International Air Transport Association. The January fall in demand is the fifth consecutive month of contraction, IATA said. The Middle East was the only region with a positive traffic growth of 3.1%. However, this is far below both the double-digit traffic growth in 2008 and the 10.8% expansion in capacity, the report noted.