Preliminary traffic figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for the month of September 2015 show continued growth in international passenger demand, whereas air cargo markets were weak. In aggregate, Asia Pacific airlines carried 22 million international passengers in September, six per cent more than the same month last year. Measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), demand increased by 7.4 per cent reflecting broad support on both short and long haul routes. Combined with the 6.2 per cent expansion in available seat capacity, the average international passenger load factor edged 0.8 per centage points higher to 77.2 per cent for the month.
Andrew Herdman, director general, AAPA said, “Overall, international air passenger demand has seen robust growth during the past nine months, as reflected in the 8.3 per cent increase in the number of international passengers carried by Asia Pacific airlines to reach a combined total of 206.1 million. Leisure travel markets remained buoyant, driving the continued growth in demand. Air cargo markets have weakened in recent months following the slowdown in world trade. The region’s carriers experienced a 1.1 per cent year-on-year decline in air cargo demand during the third quarter of 2015, after registering a 4.5 per cent increase during the first half of the year. As a result, air cargo growth for the first nine months narrowed to 2.6 per cent compared to the same period last year.”
Air cargo markets remained subdued, with demand in freight tonne kilometre (FTK) terms only matching the same month last year. After accounting for a 2.3 per cent increase in offered freight capacity, the average international freight load factor fell by 1.5 per centage points to 62.7 per cent for the month.
Herdman added, “The operating environment for Asian airlines remains challenging, complicated by the effects of slowing economic growth in emerging markets, and associated exchange rate volatility. However, the continued growth in travel demand and lower oil prices have been a positive factor, helping to keep air fares affordable. Overall, Asia Pacific airlines’ profitability is showing modest improvement in an intensely competitive market.”