Global demand for air travel rose again in February.

New figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showed levels increased by 5.4 per cent when compared to the same period in 2013. The report stated although this was a drop from the 8.2 per cent jump experienced in January, the cumulative growth for the first two months of 2014 came out at 6.9 per cent. This compares favourably with the 5.2 per cent achieved last year.

The study found capacity also rose by 5.2 per cent in February, with load factor climbing to 78.1 per cent. Only Africa recorded a drop in traffic levels.

IATA's director-general and chief executive officer Tony Tyler commented: "People are flying. Strong demand is consistent with the pick-up in global economic growth, particularly in advanced economies."

Domestic passenger markets increased by 5.3 per cent in February when compared to the previous year, while capacity and load factor rose by 4.1 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively. Meanwhile, international travel jumped by 5.5 per cent, with capacity also advancing by 5.8 per cent. However, load factors dropped by 0.2 per cent down to 76.6 per cent.