Association of Asia Pacific Airlines Reports April 2010 Traffic

Preliminary figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) indicate that both passenger and air cargo markets continued to show further improvement in April 2010 despite a week of disruptions to traffic in and out of Europe as a result of the Icelandic volcanic eruption.

 A total of 15.2 million international passengers were transported by Asia Pacific-based airlines in April 2010, 11.7% more than in the same month last year. International passenger traffic, in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, grew by 8.9%. With available seat capacity posting a modest rise of 1.2%, the average international passenger load factor increased by 5.6 percentage points to 78.4%.

Air cargo demand remained strong, maintaining the positive trend of recent months, with 32.1% growth in freight tonne kilometres (FTK) in April, compared to the very weak market conditions last year. Even with a 13.2% expansion in freight capacity, the average international cargo load factor for Asia Pacific carriers increased by 10.3 percentage points to reach 71.9%.

Commenting on the results, Mr. Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General said, “Notwithstanding the recent impact of disruptions to European air services, Asia Pacific carriers have recorded positive growth in both passenger and freight demand in April. For the first four months of 2010, international passenger traffic for Asia Pacific carriers achieved 11% growth compared with the same period last year, reflecting the robust recovery in business and consumer confidence across the region.”

“The 34% growth we have seen in international air cargo traffic for the first four months of 2010 provides further confirmation of the strength of the global economic recovery currently underway, particularly here in Asia,” Mr Herdman added. “Overall, traffic demand is now back to the levels seen before the recession. The outlook for the coming months remains broadly positive, supported by Asia’s buoyant economic growth, although concerns remain over regional imbalances, as well as oil and currency volatility.”

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