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The number of passengers boarding flights this year, and the amount of cargo being transited by air, has dropped sharply on last year’s levels. The decline is the largest on record for the industry. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said Friday the overall traffic, on preliminary figures, will be down 3.10% for 2009, compared to 2008.
The fall in passenger numbers is in accord with the first negative growth in the global economy since the Great Depression of 1929. In 2001, passenger traffic fell by 2.90%, due in part to the terrorist attacks of 11 September on the United States. International traffic fell by about 3.90% while domestic traffic fell by 1.80% this year. Total (international and domestic) traffic declined in all regions except for the Middle East, where carriers posted a strong 10% growth.
The double-digit domestic passenger traffic growth in the emerging markets of Asia and Latin America, and the relative strong performance of Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, helped curtail the severity of the decline in total traffic.
In 2009, cargo traffic was in even worsse shape than passenger traffic. It plummeted by 15% in terms of total freight tonne kilometres (FTK) compared to 2008, significantly worse than the 6.20% drop in 2001. The cargo traffic of Asia Pacific carriers, which accounts for some 36% of global FTKs, declined by around 14%, while traffic of European and North American carriers that each account for 25% share of global FTKs dropped by some 18% and 17% respectively.
The ICAO, a specialized agency of the United Nations, was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency and regularity, as well as for aviation environmental protection. The Organization serves as the forum for cooperation in all fields of civil aviation among its 190 contracted States.
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