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IATA says Mideast traffic growth slows in March

Xinhua, May 6, 2017 Adjust font size:

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Saturday that Middle East carriers' traffic growth slowed to 4.9 percent in March compared to a year ago, "a considerable slowing" from its performance in January and February.

In an e-mailed statement, IATA said the global demand for flights in March, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), rose 6.8 percent year-on-year.

About the reasons why the Middle East, usually an outperforming region, underperformed in March, IATA said it is related more to "developments seen last year," without giving details.

Last month, IATA said the potential implications of the Brexit talks on the air transport are "significant," as Britain is one of the most important destinations for Arab carriers in Europe.

Nevertheless, the trade association hailed the overall traffic growth for Middle East airlines since the beginning of 2017.

"The Middle East has seen the fastest year-on-year growth in international RPKs so far this year, with robust growth on routes to and from Asia and Europe," IATA said in the statement. Endit