London, 28 July (Argus) — The global airline industry is recovering faster than expected, with international passenger air traffic up by 11.9pc in June from a year earlier, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) has said.

But regional differences remain. “Europe is recovering at half the speed of Asia, with passenger growth of 7.8pc, compared with 15.5pc growth in Asia,” Iata director-general Giovanni Bisignani said.

African carriers performed the best with a 21.3pc increase in traffic in June, boosted by the Fifa football World Cup. Middle East carriers saw passenger traffic rise by 18pc, while demand for North American and Asia-Pacific carriers rose by 10.8pc and 15.5pc respectively. Latin American carriers saw a 14.7pc growth in passenger traffic, while European growth of 7.8pc was down slightly from May's 8.3pc.

The passenger load factor in June rose to a historical high of 79.8pc. International freight demand rose to 26.5pc last month after a 34pc fall in May, while the freight load factor was at 53.8pc.

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