Flight demand on the up

New figures have revealed a 7.8 per cent rise in international passenger traffic demand during March.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), this represents the biggest year-on-year increase in 12 months. The Middle East saw the greatest increase in air passenger traffic, followed by Africa and Europe.

IATA director-general and chief executive Giovanni Bisignani stated that this can be attributed to healthy economies resulting in higher demand for overseas travel.

"People want to travel and they are doing it in record numbers," he remarked, adding that airlines are increasingly meeting demand with more new and eco-friendly aircraft than before.

Last week, the Office for National Statistics released figures indicating that 2.5 per cent more overseas trips were made by British holidaymakers in the 12 months to February, with 68.4 million journeys made in total during this period.

Visits to regions outside of Europe and the US were found to have increased by more than nine per cent over the course of the year.

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