Global airlines are meeting under a storm pattern of trade tensions, rising oil prices and a two-month-old grounding of the Boeing Co 737 MAX jetliner – threatening to put a halt to five years of strong profits in the cut-throat air travel industry. The sector’s bosses converge on Seoul for a summit this weekend, but what might have been a celebration of growth in one of the world’s most vibrant regions now risks being thrown off course by a crippling U.S.-China trade spat and growing environmental pressures spreading from Europe.
“The last six months have been pretty tough for airlines,” the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said ahead of the annual meeting of the body, which groups 290 airlines representing over 80% of air travel.
