Asia Pacific numbers show continued traffic growth

Preliminary figures for the month of May released this week by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) show continued growth in both passenger and freight traffic.

Reflecting the surprisingly robust regional economic upturn, Asia Pacific-based airlines carried a total of 14.6 million international passengers in May, 17.6 per cent more compared to the same month last year.

International passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), grew by 14.6 per cent. With a 3.3 per cent expansion in capacity, the average international passenger load factor increased by 7.3 percentage points to 74.6 per cent.

Continued strong demand for international air cargo shipments saw 39 per cent growth in traffic measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK) compared to the same month last year.

International cargo load factors in May climbed 8.7 percentage points to reach 72.6 per cent, despite 22.2 per cent growth in freight capacity.

Commenting on the results, Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General said, “The latest set of air traffic figures confirm the underlying strength of the economic recovery, led by dynamic growth in the Asia Pacific region.

“For the first five months of the year, Asia Pacific carriers reported a welcome 10.7 per cent increase in international passenger traffic, as both leisure and business travel demand picked up. International freight traffic also bounced back sharply, up 35.6 per cent compared to last year’s slump.

“Asia Pacific airlines are responding quickly to meet the welcome upturn in demand, whilst carefully managing capacity and costs. Both business confidence and consumer sentiment are signalling a generally positive outlook for the second half of the year. This should give a boost to the travel and tourism industry, which is a significant driver for many economies in the region. Hopefully that, in turn, will be reflected in improved financial results for the region’s airlines.”