KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 5): Global passenger traffic results for 2015 showing demand (revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 6.5% year-on-year in 2015 for the full year compared to 2014, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

In a statement yesterday, the IATA said this was the strongest result since the post-global financial crisis rebound in 2010 and well above the 10-year average annual growth rate of 5.5%.

It said while economic fundamentals were weaker in 2015 compared to 2014, passenger demand was boosted by lower airfares.

IATA said that after adjusting for distortions caused by the rise of the US dollar, global airfares last year were approximately 5% lower than in 2014.

IATA director-general and CEO Tony Tyler said last year’s very strong performance, against a weaker economic backdrop, confirmed the strong demand for aviation connectivity.

“But even as the appetite for air travel increased, consumers benefitted from lower fares compared to 2014,” he said.

IATA said annual capacity rose 5.6% last year, with the result that load factor climbed 0.6 percentage points to a record annual high of 80.3%.

It said all regions experienced positive traffic growth in 2015, adding that carriers in the Asia-Pacific region accounted for one-third of the total annual increase in traffic.