Global travel and cargo spur airlines

Article Excerpt

Globally, commercial airlines have benefited from increased air travel over the past five years, with passenger volumes growing an average 7.3% each year. But, investors in the industry have also benefited from rising cargo volumes, rising 5.0% annually. Asia-Pacific experienced the highest passenger growth with almost 10% annual growth. Revenues also increased at a rapid clip in 2017 and 2018 as airlines focused on increasing revenue per passenger by adding extra services and the charges that go with them. However, costs increased at an even faster rate as fuel expenses jumped along with higher energy prices. Profit margins remained subdued despite the strong volume growth. The net profit margin for the global commercial airline industry in 2018 was only 3.7%, the lowest since 2014. The return on invested capital was 7.9% for the industry, well below the estimated cost of that capital. North American airlines, bringing in about 50% of the global industry’s earnings, enjoy the top profit margins among their…