Middle East air carriers reported significant gains in passenger and cargo demand in April, according to the latest traffic figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Passenger traffic rose 16 per cent while cargo demand increased 14.5 per cent year-on-year.

Passenger demand grew faster than the 12.7 per cent capacity expansion reported in April, while load factors exceeded 78 per cent.

The traffic results placed regional airlines well ahead of global averages of 6.1 per cent for passenger demand and a 4.2 per cent contraction in cargo demand.

Source: IATA

If not for Middle East cargo traffic, the latter figure could have been even worse. According to IATA, international air freight demand was two per cent higher in April compared to November 2011, with Middle East carriers accounting for 80 per cent of this overall improvement.

“Amid the many distortions that have marked the first four months of the year, it is possible to identify the start of a growth trend in cargo for some parts of the world. But economic uncertainty in Europe makes it very difficult to be optimistic in the near to medium-term,” comments Tony Tyler, IATA director general and CEO. 

Meanwhile, African airlines reported a seven per cent increase in passenger demand. It was the only region where capacity expansion (8.5 per cent) outpaced demand growth. Load factors remained the weakest of all international markets at 65.9 per cent.