Washington, June 01: The heads of major Asian and European airlines have said the slump in travel demand caused largely by the SARS virus had reached its bottom, though recovery from the current industry crisis would be slow.

Airlines worldwide have been hit by a sharp decline in traffic resulting from the sluggish economy, war in Iraq and more recently SARS, which has decimated air travel to Asia.
But airline executives from around the world, all members of airline network Star Alliance meeting in Washington to welcome US Airways into the group, said the demand slump appeared to be leveling off.

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"There are indications over the last couple of weeks that the traffic (drop) has bottomed out," Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer Cheong Choong Kong told a news conference.
"Barring unforeseen circumstances, I think we have seen the worst."

"There are indications over the last couple of weeks that the traffic (drop) has bottomed out," Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer Cheong Choong Kong told a news conference.
"Barring unforeseen circumstances, I think we have seen the worst."
The leaders of the world's largest airline alliance said they were evaluating ways to reduce costs to offset the industry weakness, adding to measures they have taken individually. Bureau Report