World airline traffic expanded by 6.8 per cent in August, enabling the industry to match an all-time record of 83.4 per cent of seats filled, the International Air Transport Association said on Wednesday.
"August was a positive month for passenger travel," IATA chief Tony Tyler said in a statement, pointing out that the overall passenger load factor, or percentage of seats filled, matched a record set in July 2011.
Passenger demand that month was up 6.8 per cent year-on-year, with strong growth across all markets, but especially in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia.
"The solid performance was also supported by a stabilisation of emerging market weakness and renewed confidence in Europe and North America," Tyler pointed out.
Traffic on international routes was up 7.5 per cent in August while demand for domestic travel was up 5.6 per cent.
Middle Eastern carriers experienced the strongest year-on-year international traffic growth of 15.1 per cent.
But this number was heavily impacted by the timing of Ramadan, when Muslims tend to travel less, IATA said, pointing out that the holiday fell in August in 2012 but in July this year.
Latin American airlines meanwhile saw international traffic grow 9.8 per cent in August, while carriers in the Asia Pacific region recorded a 8.6 per cent hike.
Modest economic improvements and rising consumer confidence also helped boost airline travel in Europe by 5.4 per cent, while North American airlines saw demand rise 5.1 per cent compared to August a year ago.
Tyler hailed the growth, stressing that "most indications (are) pointing towards an acceleration in the fourth quarter."
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