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Preliminary traffic figures compiled by the
Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for the month of
January 2012 show continued growth in international air passenger
traffic demand, with air freight demand falling sharply during the
month as a result of the earlier timing of the Lunar New Year
holidays this year.
In aggregate, Asia Pacific airlines carried 17.2
million international passengers in January, a 7.3% growth
compared to the same month last year, boosted by an increase in
travel during the Lunar New Year holiday season.
In revenue
passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, international passenger traffic
grew by 6.3%. Available seat capacity was up by 6.7%, resulting in
a slight 0.2 percentage point fall in the average international
passenger load factor to 78.2%.
International air cargo demand, measured in freight tonne
kilometres (FTK), declined by 13.7% in January compared to the
same month last year, reflecting the persistently weak trading
environment and the closure of manufacturing plants due to the
holidays. Even with a 5.3% reduction in offered freight capacity,
the average international cargo load factor fell by 5.7 percentage
points, to 59.6%.
“The continuing growth
in passenger numbers marks an encouraging start to the year for
Asian carriers. The slump in air cargo demand mainly reflects the
earlier timing of the Lunar New Year holidays this year, but is
nevertheless also a reminder of the still uncertain outlook for
the global economy in the year ahead,” said Mr. Andrew Herdman,
AAPA Director General. “With Europe sliding into recession, we expect this to be
another challenging year for the industry, but remain guardedly
optimistic given some tentative signs of recovery in the US and
continuing positive momentum here in Asia.”
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January 2012
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