DUBAI: Middle East carriers remained affected by the US electronics ban imposed last year on flights emanating from the region, as well as the travel ban imposed on some citizens from there, the International Air Transport Association said on Friday. Passenger traffic was up only 0.5 percent in January, compared with the same month last year, the slowest pace since September 2008. Capacity climbed 4.6 percent and load factor fell 3.1 percentage points to 76.8 percent. “The market to/from North America has been especially hard-hit owing to factors including the temporary ban on large portable electronic devices as well as the proposed travel bans to the US from some countries in the region,” IATA said. American aviation authorities in March 2017 implemented a prohibition against laptops and other similar gadgets in the hand luggage of passengers flying to the US from the Middle East or via certain Middle Eastern airlines as a security precaution against supposed terrorist attacks. The ban was however lifted after Middle East carriers implemented new security precautions for their US-bound flights. There have been questions on the timing of the ban – which was imposed at a time that US and Gulf carriers where engaged in a dispute over the American open skies policy – as other airlines plying the route were not affected. Global passenger traffic growth also slowed to 4.6 percent in January, the slowest year-over-year increase in nearly four years, IATA said. “The results were affected by temporary factors including the later timing of the Lunar New Year in 2018 as well as less favorable comparisons with the strong upward trend in traffic seen in late 2016-early 2017.” “Despite the slower start, economic momentum is supporting rising passenger demand in 2018. That said, concerns over a possible trade war involving the US could have a serious dampening effect on global market confidence, spilling over into demand for air travel,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. Asia-Pacific carriers recorded a passenger demand increase of 4.6 percent in January, a 46-month low, impacted by the Lunar New Year’s arrival in mid-February. European airlines’ international traffic climbed 6 percent in January, faster compared with the 5.8 percent growth in December 2017. The region was the only one to see an acceleration in traffic compared to the prior month, IATA said. North American airlines experienced a 3.5 percent January rise in traffic over a year ago, while Latin American carriers’ passenger demand climbed 7.3 percent during the same month, the strongest among the regions. African airlines meanwhile reported a 4.9 percent increase in passenger demand during the month.