IATA: Middle East RPK growth positive in Apr-2019, 'meagre' growth in Africa

IATA, in its Jun-2019 Africa and Middle East regional briefing, stated (25-Jun-2019) year-on-year RPK growth for Middle East carriers "returned to positive territory" in Apr-2019 after two consecutive months of declines, but added: "It is too early to conclude that this month's outcome represents a shift from recently observed downward RPK trend". Africa passenger volumes grew a "meagre" 1.6% in Apr-2019 and IATA noted "faltering business confidence and political uncertainty in some of the region's key economies". Among the key international markets, Africa-Europe remained the best performer in Apr-2019 with a "robust" 9.6% increase in volumes. RPK growth recovered in the Middle East-North America market, which IATA noted "has more to do with weakness a year ago than any clear pick-up in the demand trend". Passenger load factor "rose sharply" in the Middle East and "ticked up" in Africa. [more - original PR]