International Air Traffic Declined in November

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LONDON -- In a further sign of the broadening economic slump, the decline in international air passenger traffic accelerated in November while the drop in air cargo volumes was the worst since 2001.

International passenger traffic in November fell 4.6% from the same month a year ago, according to figures released Tuesday by the International Air Transport Association. That follows year-to-year declines of 2.9% in September and 1.3% in October.

Air cargo volumes last month fell 13.5%, providing further evidence of the rapid decline in global trade.

"The industry is now shrinking by all measures," IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement. "We can expect deep losses in the fourth quarter."

Mr. Bisignani described the drop in cargo volumes as shocking. IATA, a Swiss-based international trade body that represents about 230 airlines comprising 93% of scheduled international air traffic world-wide, says 35% of the value of goods traded internationally are shipped by air.

Carriers in the Asia-Pacific region were hit hardest in November, accounting for the biggest decline in freight and passenger traffic.

Airlines based in the Asia-Pacific region last month reported a 16.9% drop year-to-year in cargo volumes. There were also double-digit declines for carriers in North America, Latin America and Europe.

IATA said the trend is likely to be continued into December.

Asia-Pacific carriers in November also saw a 9.7% fall year-to-year in passenger traffic following a 6.1% decline in October. While Chinese domestic traffic rebounded after the Beijing Olympics in the summer, travel to and from international markets continues to decline, reflecting weaknesses in global trade and consumer confidence.

International passenger traffic dropped 4.8% in November for North American carriers. Until August, the region's carriers had been shifting capacity to international markets. With the near-collapse of the investment banking sector and subsequent reductions in business travel, North Atlantic travel slumped, IATA said.

European carriers saw international traffic drop 3.4%.

Bucking the trend, Middle Eastern carriers saw passenger traffic increase by 5.6%, up from 3.5% in October. But that's still below the double-digit growth rates before the financial crisis.

The international passenger load factor last month was 72.7%, down about three percentage points over the same month last year.

"The industry is back in intensive care," said Mr. Bisignani. "Improving efficiency everywhere will be [the] theme for 2009."

Write to Jonathan Buck at Jonathan.Buck@dowjones.com