The intensifying US-China trade war and rising fuel prices will continue to bog down airline profits this year. The International Air Transport Association at the annual meeting of global airlines in Seoul today said that 2019's collective net profit was forecast to be 28 billion US dollars, down from an outlook of 35.5 billion dollars released in December.

Mentioning the rising costs of labour, fuel and infrastructure across the board, International Air Transport Association added that the worsening trade war between the two world's largest economies was not helpful for the industry.