International air passenger traffic in Jan up 6.1 pct yr-on-yr - IATA

Cargo traffic grew 3 pct during the month.

"January passenger numbers tell a good story. People want to fly and airlines continue to meet this demand with even greater efficiency, filling 74.9 pct of seats available globally," director-general and chief executive officer," Giovanni Bisignani said.

"But it is no time to relax. Slower freight growth is a strong reminder of the continuing effects of a high fuel price and competition from other modes of transport," he added.

IATA said passenger growth was seen in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East , which continued its double-digit growth trend.

Bisignani reiterated the need to improve efficiency gains.

"The industry is on-track to achieve the 3-bln-usd cost savings from 100 pct e-ticketing in just 301 days," he said.