This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@xxxxxxxxx /-------------------- advertisement -----------------------\ Explore more of Starbucks at Starbucks.com. http://www.starbucks.com/default.asp?ci=1015 \----------------------------------------------------------/ World Airline Traffic Down 18.5 Percent May 23, 2003 By REUTERS Filed at 8:08 a.m. ET GENEVA ( Reuters) - World air passenger traffic plunged by 18.5 percent in April against the same month last year and by 44.8 percent in the Asia-Pacific region, the global airlines body IATA said on Friday. The huge drop was largely due to fallout from the U.S.-British invasion of Iraq and the SARS virus crisis in east and south-east Asia, said IATA, the Geneva-based International Air Transport Association. ``The unprecedented combination of crises... has had a disastrous impact on the international air transport industry, in an order of magnitude approaching that of September 11,'' said IATA Director-General Giovanni Bisignani. The last sharp drop followed the four suicide aircraft hijackings in the United States on September 11, 2001, which led to the deaths of nearly 3,000 people and a temporary closure of U.S. airspace. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-airlines-traffic.html?ex=1054694698&ei=1&en=d8f9fa0050ecfad7 --------------------------------- Get Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Imagine reading The New York Times any time & anywhere you like! Leisurely catch up on events & expand your horizons. Enjoy now for 50% off Home Delivery! Click here: http://www.nytimes.com/ads/nytcirc/index.html HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales@xxxxxxxxxxx or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@xxxxxxxxxxxx Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company