GENEVA — Though global passenger traffic was up in August, says IATA, growth remains slow overall in some key markets.

August demand (measured in total revenue passenger kilometres, or RPKs) climbed 3.8% compared to the year-ago period, which was above the 3.5% annual increase for July. August capacity also increased by 3.5%, while load factor climbed 0.3% percentage point to 85.7%, which was a new monthly record.

However, according to Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO, “growth remains below the long-term trend and well-down on the roughly 8.5% annual growth seen over the 2016 to Q1 2018 period.”

This decline, adds de Juniac, is reflective of the uncertainty over Brexit and the trade *** between the U.S. and China.

“Nonetheless, airlines are doing a great job of matching capacity to demand. With passenger load factors reaching a new high of 85.7%, this is good for overall efficiency and passengers’ individual carbon footprint,” he says.

North American carriers’ international demand rose 2.5% compared to August a year ago, up from a 1.4% increase in July. Capacity rose 1.3%, and load factor grew by 1.0 percentage point to 88.3%. This performance represents an improvement from July, but remains relatively soft compared to long-term norms, most likely reflecting trade tensions and slowing demand.