Airlines: Passenger demand grew 6 percent in 2011 Airlines: Passenger demand grew 6 percent in 2011 - Travel News updated 2/1/2012 6:26:10 AM ET GENEVA - The International Air Transport Association says passenger demand grew 5.9 percent last year but lagged behind capacity increases. The group, which represents some 240 major airlines, says the airlines increased their available seats by 6.3 percent meaning average loads declined slightly in 2011. IATA said in a statement Wednesday that the cargo market contracted 0.7 percent last year. The group said the weak euro boosted business travel, as passengers from elsewhere took advantage of cheaper fares. It noted that travel to and from Japan was badly affected by the earthquake with demand down more than 15 percent. IATA Chief Executive Tony Tyler says business conditions will remain tough in 2012 and called for political measures to cut bureaucracy for airlines. New airfare info: "Big win for travelers" (02:04) Tips on when you should use a travel agent (04:30) More videos in Travel News W.Va. hotel evacuated after guest dies, 4 sickened Symbolic Rio statue causes uproar in London Item at NYC airport prompts scare hours later Luxor guest who died had Legionnaires Search msnbc.com 1 Top stories 2 Business 4 U.S. news 5 World news 6 Politics 7 Tech & science 8 Entertainment 9 Health Travel Nightly News Dateline Meet the Press Rachel Maddow See news breaking? Podcasts Local news News alerts 0 MSN home Top # Bottom Switch to regular msnbc.com site MSN Privacy / Legal