AIRLINES OF THE WORLD

Press, Volume C, Issue 29403, 4 January 1961, Page 6

AIRLINES OF THE WORLD

Forecast For 1961 ’’The world’s airlines should carry a new record total of 118 m passengers during 1961—a healthy increase over the 98m who flew on their services during 1959,” the director-general of the International Air Transport Association (Sir William Hildred) said in his year-end statement on the prospects of world air transport in 1961. "The 1961 total of passenger kilometres performed should reach 125.000 m, as against 97.000 m in 1959. Cargo traffic is expected to increase from 1920 m tonne-kilometres in 1959 to a new high of 2540 m. “These are estimates, of course, and reasonably conservative ones, weighted to take account of mixed forecasts of world economic conditions in the coming year,” he said. “Nevertheless, I feel confident that the surge of air traffic will continue under the pressure of growing public need for international air transport, particularly to and within such rapidly developing areas as Africa and South America.

“By the same token traffic will gain further momentum from the rapidly consolidating public habit of international tourism and from the powerful attractions of new jet services and lower fares and rates.

“Some 130 more jet aircraft will be added to airlines* fleets, bringing the total of these new types in service to about 560 by next December. ' • “To a certain extent airlines will be racing the increase in their own capacity but the odds are that they will win," Sir William Hildred added. I.A.T-A estimates of world airline traffic cover scheduled international and domestic services' of all airlines except the U.S.S.R. and the People’s Republic of China.