The latest statistics from industry body Iata showed international passenger demand rose by 6.3% in October, compared with the same month in 2017, and was also up by 5.1% on September’s figures. While the industry’s load factor also improved by 0.1 percentage points to 79.8%

Alexandre de Juniac, Iata’s director general and chief executive, said: “Demand for air travel is strong as we head into the holiday travel season. Trade wars and uncertainty around the political and economic impact of Brexit remain concerns but the recent easing of fuel prices is a welcome development.

“October’s healthy performance is reassuring after the slower demand growth in September - some of which was attributable to weather-related disruptions.

“However, the bigger picture is that traffic growth has moderated compared to earlier in the year, reflecting a more mixed economic backdrop and reduced demand stimulation from lower fares.”