The International Air Transport Association is lowering its 2019 profit forecast for the airline industry amid rising fuel prices and weakening world trade.
The Montreal-based IATA said airlines are expected to earn $28 billion this year, down from the $35.5 billion it had predicted in December.
“Margins are being squeezed by rising costs right across the board, including labor, fuel, and infrastructure,” the industry body said in a statement Sunday at its annual meeting in Seoul.
It said competition among airlines remains stiff and “weakening of global trade is likely to continue as the U.S.-China trade war intensifies,” primarily affecting the cargo business, although passenger traffic could also be hit if tensions rise.