Asia Pacific airlines start 2012 with growth in traffic

Preliminary traffic figures compiled by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for the month of January 2012 show continued growth in international air passenger traffic demand, with air freight demand falling sharply during the month as a result of the earlier timing of the Lunar New Year holidays this year.

In aggregate, Asia Pacific airlines carried 17.2 million international passengers in January, a 7.3% growth compared to the same month last year, boosted by an increase in travel during the Lunar New Year holiday season.

In revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, international passenger traffic grew by 6.3%. Available seat capacity was up by 6.7%, resulting in a slight 0.2 percentage point fall in the average international passenger load factor to 78.2%.

International air cargo demand, measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), declined by 13.7% in January compared to the same month last year, reflecting the persistently weak trading environment and the closure of manufacturing plants due to the holidays. Even with a 5.3% reduction in offered freight capacity, the average international cargo load factor fell by 5.7 percentage points, to 59.6%.

 “The continuing growth in passenger numbers marks an encouraging start to the year for Asian carriers. The slump in air cargo demand mainly reflects the earlier timing of the Lunar New Year holidays this year, but is nevertheless also a reminder of the still uncertain outlook for the global economy in the year ahead,” said Mr. Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General. “With Europe sliding into recession, we expect this to be another challenging year for the industry, but remain guardedly optimistic given some tentative signs of recovery in the US and continuing positive momentum here in Asia.”