Airlines saw a year-on-year rise in demand of 0.5 per cent in October, the industry body said this morning, reversing a decline of 5.4 per cent for the previous month.
Though the gains are modest, demand is now six per cent above the lowest point seen in March 2009 and just five per cent short of the peak seen early last year.
Addressing the prospect of a full-blown recovery from the economic downturn, IATA chief Giovanni Bisignani remained muted but cautiously optimistic.
"The crisis has cost the industry two years of growth," he said, noting that Middle Eastern and North American carriers have been quicker to recover than their European counterparts. "Adjusting costs and capacity to meet that reality will be challenging."
Mr Bisignani also stressed the IATA's continued opposition to what he described as an "archaic regulatory structure" that is impeding further progress in the sector.
"This recession is re-emphasising a structural weakness in the industry," he explained. "The inability to merge across political borders has created a hyper-fragmented industry."
British Airways and American Airlines, both IATA members, have long complained that US rules prohibiting foreign ownership of domestic carriers have obstructed a merger between the two transatlantic airlines – one that would enable them to significantly cut costs.
A total of 77 airlines have gone bust in the EU since 2000, with operators being hit by a deadly mixture of rising oil prices and falling consumer spending power.
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