Preliminary traffic figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for the month of April 2016 show continuation of established trends, with steady growth in international air passenger demand, whereas air cargo markets remained weak.
The month of April 2016 saw the region’s airlines carry 24.2 million international passengers, a 4.8 per cent increase compared to the same month last year, on the back of continued strong regional demand.
In revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, international passenger volumes grew by 6.4 per cent, boosted by an improvement in long-haul travel markets.
Capacity expansion of 6.4 per cent matched demand growth, with the average international passenger load factor for the month unchanged at 78.0 per cent.
Andrew Herdman, Director General, AAPA said, “During the first four months of the year, Asia Pacific airlines saw international passenger numbers increase by a healthy 6.9 to an aggregate total of 97.1 million. Passengers are benefiting from greater value than ever with competitive airfares and ever expanding consumer choice of products and services. However, international air cargo markets are still weak, with year to date demand registering a 4.8 per cent decline compared to the same period a year ago, reflecting the lacklustre global trade conditions.”
Air cargo demand was flat, with volumes in freight tonne kilometre (FTK) terms similar to those registered in the same month last year.
Expansion in available freight capacity continued to outpace the growth in demand. As a result, the average freight load factor for the region’s carriers fell by 1.7 percentage points to 61.7 per cent, after accounting for a 2.8 per cent expansion in offered freight capacity.
Looking ahead, Herdman said, “The outlook for air passenger demand is expected to remain positive, even though there are uncertainties regarding the global economic outlook. Accordingly, although the region’s airlines are cautiously optimistic about further growth, they are at the same time continuing to focus attention on disciplined cost management efforts throughout the business.”
