Average return fare for global airlines was 60% lower in 2018 as against 1998: IATA

The average return fare in 2018 was 60% lower than in 1998, before taxes and surcharges, while the cost of air freight ($/Kg) was down 61% over the same period, stated Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, International Air Transport Association (IATA), in the IATA World Air Transport Statistics (2019 WATS), where they released performance figures for 2018 . He added that aviation is good for local economies too— $843 billion in tourism spending was made possible by air travel last year, while governments collected $129 billion in tax revenues from airlines and air travel.