TURBULENT TIMES AHEAD FOR AIR TRAVEL

Passenger numbers rose by 2.1 per cent in November against the same period last year and freight was up 9.5 per cent, according to figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Passenger load factors, which measure how full aircraft are, stayed at the 75.4 per cent level before the economic crisis and freight load factors stood at 56.6 per cent.

Demand was 6.4 per cent ­better than the low point hit in the first quarter of 2009 but was still six per cent below the peaks in early 2008, IATA said.

The improvement in levels was being exaggerated by the sharp fall in demand during the second half of 2008 when the global recession hit demand.

IATA’s director general and chief executive Giovanni Bisignani said saving cash, controlling costs and matching capacity to demand would be key.

“Demand continues to improve but we still have a lot of ground to recover,” he said.

Meanwhile, the economic downturn continued to stoke fears for the future of airlines, with shares in debt-ridden Japan Airlines, Asia’s biggest carrier, plunging to a record low amid concerns it might file for bankruptcy.