Global air traffic fell by 12 percent in June, a slower decline than in May, as more people started traveling again after the containment of SARS, the International Air Transport Association said.
The Geneva-based association, which represents more than 270 airlines worldwide, also said Asia-Pacific airlines carried 36 percent fewer passengers in June, compared with a decline of 55 percent in May.
Airlines worldwide may lose between US$5 billion and US$6.5 billion on international routes this year, the association said.
The outbreak of SARS prom-pted airlines to slash capacity as people canceled trips because of fears of catching the disease.
"We expect that traffic recovery will intensify as a result of pent-up demand and the northern hemisphere summer holiday season," Giovanni Bisignani, the association's director general, said in Hong Kong.
Chinese airlines, which last year made 720 million yuan (US$87 million) of profit, may lose 8 billion yuan this year, said IATA's regional director Zhang Baojian. China's airlines will be profitable next year, he said.
Chinese airlines, which include China Southern Airlines Co, Air China and China Eastern Airlines Corp, were among the worst hit by the SARS outbreak.
Global air traffic fell by 21 percent in May.
In the first half, global air traffic fell 7.1 percent from a year ago, with Asia-Pacific airlines carrying 16 percent fewer passengers and North American carriers 11 percent fewer in the period.
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