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According to the preliminary traffic figures
from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for the month
of March 2012, international air passenger demand showed sustained
growth, while international air cargo markets remained weak.
Supported by an improvement in business travel
markets, airlines based in the Asia Pacific region carried a
combined total of 17.2 million international passengers in March,
10.6% more than in the same month last year. International
passenger demand, as measured in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK)
terms, grew by 9.4%, whilst available seat capacity expanded by
5.6%, resulting in a 2.7 percentage point increase in the average
international passenger load factor to 76.8%.
International air cargo demand, in freight tonne
kilometre (FTK) terms, declined by 4.5% compared to the same month
last year, a reflection of lacklustre export-import markets.
Offered freight capacity contracted by 4.1%, resulting in a
marginal 0.2 percentage point fall in the average international
air cargo load factor for the region’s carriers to 69.3% for the
month.
Commenting on the results, Mr. Andrew Herdman,
AAPA Director General said, “We’re seeing sustained growth in
passenger demand, with Asian airlines carrying 7.6% more
international passengers in the first quarter of this year
compared to the same period last year, underpinned by robust
demand in the Asia Pacific region, and an improving US economy. On
the other hand, international air cargo traffic for the first
quarter fell by 4.1% year-on-year, reflecting a soft market and
lingering concerns over weakening consumer demand, particularly in
Europe.”
Mr. Herdman added, “The global macro-economic
outlook is still overshadowed by the potentially dampening effects
of stubbornly high oil prices, and poor growth prospects in
Europe, but Asian economies are still delivering robust growth.
Nevertheless, airline margins remain under pressure from high fuel
costs, focusing attention on further efforts to tightly control
costs and carefully match capacity to market demand.”
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AAPA,
March 2012
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