Asia Pacific Airlines Carried 23.6 Million Int. Passengers in June 2016

Preliminary traffic figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for the month of June 2016 show continued healthy growth in international air passenger demand.

A total of 23.6 million international passengers were carried by Asia Pacific airlines in June, 7.9% more than in the same month last year.

In revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, international passenger demand grew by 7.5%. Combined with the 6.5% expansion in available seat capacity, the average international passenger load factor rose by 0.7 percentage point to 78.5% for the month.

Air cargo demand in June also saw some modest growth for the first time since the start of the year.

Air freight volumes for Asian airlines grew by 4.1% as measured in freight tonne kilometre (FTK) terms. Offered freight capacity increased by 3.6%, leading to a 0.3 percentage point increase in the average international freight load factor to 63.6% for the month.

Commenting on the results, Mr. Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General (pictured right), said, "In the first six months of 2016, Asian airlines saw a healthy 6.2% increase in the number of international passengers carried to reach an aggregate total of 144 million. International air cargo demand remained subdued, registering a 2.5% decline for the first half of the year, although the uptick in the June figures is mildly encouraging."

Looking ahead, Mr. Herdman, said, "The demand outlook for air passenger markets remains positive, consumers are enjoying the benefits of affordable airfares, and an expanding range of services, which are helping to drive the sustained growth in travel demand. The outlook for air cargo remains a concern, reflecting generally weak trading conditions in the global economy. Asian airlines are focused on meeting the growth in travel demand, investing in new aircraft and services, whilst at the same time vigilantly keeping a tight rein on costs in order to deliver improved levels of profitability."

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