IATA’s February Traffic Results Benefit from “Positive Distortion”
IATA's February results reflect "positive distortions."
Middle East and African carriers saw international traffic soar in February, due largely to the Arab Spring’s negative effect on volume a year earlier. (Photo: Airbus)
Middle East and African carriers saw international traffic soar in February, due largely to the Arab Spring’s negative effect on volume a year earlier. (Photo: Airbus)

“Positive distortion” caused by geopolitical and other factors inflated February 2012 traffic results reported by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), whose statistics showed an 8.6-percent improvement in passenger demand and a 5.2-percent rise in cargo demand compared with the same month last year.