Preliminary traffic figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for March 2016 show further growth in international air passenger demand. A total of 24.4 million international passengers were carried by Asia Pacific airlines in March, 4.5 per cent more than in the same month last year. In revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, international passenger demand registered a corresponding 4.7 per cent growth. Combined with the 6.7 per cent expansion in available seat capacity, the average international passenger load factor fell by 1.5 percentage points to 77.4 percent for the month.
“During the first quarter of the year, Asia Pacific airlines saw international passenger numbers increase by a solid 7.5 per cent to an aggregate total of 72.8 million. Overall, the growth in demand for air passenger travel remains quite robust, supported by low oil prices and the widespread availability of affordable airfares. Some concerns remain over the global economic outlook, but the region’s airlines are continuing to invest in new aircraft, and products and services to meet the projected growth in consumer demand,” said Andrew Herdman, director general, AAPA.
