International air passengers up 4.5% in August, IATA says

The number of international air passengers improved by 4.5% in August, up from a 2.6% increase in July, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.

The results show that the business is improving after a period of weakness in international trade and business confidence in the beginning of the year, IATA’s Premium Traffic Monitor revealed.

However, Malaysian air travel has been affected by high-profile plane crashes this year, resulting in a decline in tourism activity.

South American’s market contracted 2.2% in August compared to the previous year after being hit by capacity cuts to Venezuela. IATA also said weakness in Brazil and Argentina has affected the market.

In the contrary, routes like Europe to the Far East have grown 6.7% in August and North and Mid Pacific saw a jump of 7.1% during the period.

“If this improvement continues, which is the consensus view now, then we would expect international air travel growth to accelerate during the second half of this year,” the report said.