Global passenger traffic in September showed its strongest growth in seven months, indicating the resilience of travel demand in the aftermath of terror attacks.
According to the latest figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), demand measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) soared 7% compared with the same month in 2015.
Capacity climbed 6.6% and load factor edged up 0.3 percentage points to 81.1%.
Growth in domestic traffic slightly outpaced growth in international traffic.
IATA director-general Alexandre de Juniac said September's growth was a healthy rebound from weakness in August, indicating that travel demand is showing resilience in the aftermath of terror attacks.
But he warned that the aviation industry must be ever alert to the ongoing terror threat, and is still vulnerable to being buffeted by rising geopolitical tensions, protectionist political agendas and weak economic fundamentals.
"It [2016] will still be a good year for the airline industry's performance, but profitability will continue to be hard-won," he said.
According to IATA, the international passenger market in RPK terms climbed 6.9% in September with airlines in all regions recording growth compared to 2015.
Total capacity increased 7.2%, causing load factor to slide 0.2 percentage points to 80.4%.
Domestic demand grew 7.2% in September compared with the same month last year, which was up from the 4.1% year-on-year growth recorded in August.
India and China continued to experience double-digit annual traffic increases. All markets except Australia registered all-time highs in September load factor.