Growth in passengers, stabilisation in air cargo for Asia Pacific airlines
Tuesday, 17 December 2013 00:01
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Preliminary traffic figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for the month of October 2013 show sustained growth in international passenger markets and a stabilisation of air cargo traffic.
Growth in international passenger demand maintained its momentum in October, with Asia Pacific airlines reporting a strong 8.3% increase in the number of passengers carried to a combined total of 18.5 million passengers.
In revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, international passenger traffic grew by 8.6%, reflecting good demand on major long haul routes.
Combined with a 7.5% expansion in available seat capacity, the average international passenger load factor climbed 0.7 percentage points higher to 77.2% for the month.
International air cargo demand as seen by Asia Pacific airlines in October provided further evidence that volumes have stabilised following very weak market conditions over the past two years.
Expressed in freight ton kilometres (FTK), international air cargo traffic registered a 2.1% increase compared to the same month last year.
Whilst welcome, the growth did not keep pace with the 4.0% increase in offered freight capacity, resulting in a 1.2 percentage point fall in the average international freight load factor, to 66.1% for the month.
Commenting on the results, AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman said: “Overall, a total of 182 million international passengers flew on Asia Pacific airlines during the first ten months of the year, a solid 5.9% increase compared to the same period last year. The continued recovery of the global economy boosted traffic for the region’s carriers, driving further growth in both business and leisure travel.
“In air cargo markets, the cumulative decline in air freight demand narrowed to 1.3% during the first ten months of the year. Asian carriers remain optimistic for the longer term recovery of the air cargo market, after seeing prolonged weak demand conditions.
“The steady improvement in global business conditions, and the tentative recovery in consumer sentiment seen in the major developed economies, give us added confidence in future growth prospects, even though competitive pressures are still weighing heavily on both yields and margins for Asian carriers.”
