Air Traffic Jumps Most in Five Years as Fares Follow Oil Lower
- Asia led way in 2015; Chinese domestic routes still strong
- Internal U.S. services post biggest gains since 2004
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Airline traffic surged 6.5 percent last year, the most since the post-slump rebound of 2010, as cuts in fares prompted by the lower oil price encouraged people to travel even amid a generally weaker economic situation.
Since capacity increased by 5.6 percent compared with 2014, aircraft also flew fuller, with the industry-wide load factor gaining 0.6 of a percentage point to a record 80.3 percent, the International Air Transport Association said Thursday. Prices fell 5 percent on average, adjusted for a stronger dollar.