Traffic grew 11% in June year-on-year after US-imposed laptop ban lifted
Middle East carriers registered double-digit growth in international passenger traffic in June, outperforming other regions, as demand improved from a year ago following the reversal of US travel restrictions.
Regional airlines posted 11 per cent growth in revenue per passenger kilometre — a measure of passenger volumes–in June from the same month last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.
The sharp increase in June resulted from the removal of «unfavourable developments in the year-ago period, including the ban on large portable electronic devices, as well as the travel restrictions imposed by the US for visitors from certain Middle East and African countries,» IATA said in its monthly report.
In March 2017, the United States restricted the use of electronic devices on US-bound flights from 10 Middle East airports citing security measures to prevent terrorist threats. The four-month ban, one of the controversial travel restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration, slashed demand for US flights on regional carriers. The ban was reversed in July last year after regional airports implemented new security measures approved by the US…
