IATA has published statistics revealing a slowdown in the decline of passenger demand for April.

Air traffic statistics for April 2009 show no signs of recovery, according to latest figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), while May’s figures suggest an increase in the decline of passenger numbers, particularly for European airlines.

April’s drop in passenger demand stood at 3.1%, a significant improvement on March’s 11.1% drop, however the month may have benefited from the Easter getaway, which fell in April this year.

May’s figures, not yet confirmed by the organisation, could show another double-digit decline.

Giovanni Bisignani, Director General and CEO of IATA, said: “The demand improvements that we saw in April are welcome. But the 3.1% decline in passenger demand still outstripped the 2.5% cutback in capacity. There is no improvement in revenues as yields continue to fall. And freight remains at shockingly low levels. The worst may be over. However, we have not yet seen any signs that recovery is imminent.

“With each day of the recession, the challenges for the air transport industry are mounting. Flexibility has never been more important…To manage through this ongoing crisis, every player in the air transport value chain must be prepared to drive change.”

Carriers from the Asia-Pacific region saw the biggest decline in passenger demand – 8.6% – while African, North American and European carriers also experienced a drop in demand.