Demand for summer air travel is holding up well despite airlines hiking ticket prices, although possible shortages of jet fuel could throw a wrench in the key travel period, an industry trade body has said.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which unites most of the world's leading airlines, said demand for air travel held up well in March despite the war in the Middle East.
Passenger volume rose by 2.1 percent compared to March last year, while the number of flights dropped by 1.7 percent.
Airlines were able to do this by increasing seat occupancy by 3.1 points to 83.6 percent.
The war caused severe disruption in air traffic in the Gulf region. Passenger volumes in the Middle East plunged by 58.6 percent as airports were closed.
International passenger volumes dipped by 0.6 percent overall. Outside the Middle East they were up by eight percent.
Domestic demand increased by 6.5 percent from March last year, with seat occupancy also rising.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent energy prices soaring.
Jet fuel prices have skyrocketed and airlines have been quick to raise ticket prices.
"While this has not impacted March traffic or forward bookings to date, it remains to be seen at what point high prices could start to shift passenger behavior," IATA's director Willie Walsh said.
"So far, the summer is shaping up to be a normally busy time for travel," he added.
But he noted shortages of jet fuel could emerge over the next few months in regions that depended heavily on supplies from the Middle East, especially Asia and Europe."Everybody's watching what's happening with jet fuel," said Walsh.
