Air cargo, passengers down in Asia - Pacific

Preliminary figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed that its member airlines carried a total of 11.1 million international passengers in April, 5.8% fewer than in the same month last year. International passenger traffic, in revenue passenger kilometer (RPK) terms, fell by 8.2% year-on-year, indicating the relative weakness in demand for long-haul travel. With overall seat capacity being reduced by 5.4%, the average AAPA international passenger load factor fell by two percentage points to 72.3%.

Air cargo demand remained depressed in April, with AAPA international freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) down 21.9%, year-on-year. The AAPA average international cargo load factor was five percentage points lower, at 62.8%.

Commenting on the results, Mr. Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General said, or the first four months of the year, AAPA international passenger numbers were 9.6% lower than in the same period last year. Demand for first and business class seats has been particularly weak as companies have tightened their travel budgets. Meanwhile, the air cargo business remains depressed as a result of the sharp slowdown in international trade. For the first four months of the year, AAPA international air cargo traffic was down 24% compared to the same period last year.