ASIA PACIFIC. Asia Pacific airlines reported a solid +10.7% year-on-year increase in international passenger traffic in June, to 29.5 million.
The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said growth in international air passenger demand was underpinned by robust expansion in the services sectors.
Demand in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms increased +9.6%, which AAPA said underscored the relative strength of regional travel markets. The average international passenger load factor climbed 1.9 percentage points higher to 81.6% for the month, after accounting for a 7.0% expansion in available seat capacity.
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In the first half of the year, the region’s airlines registered a solid +8% increase in the total number of international passengers carried, to 176 million.
“Asian airlines continued to benefit from sustained regional and wider economic growth, as well as improvements to connectivity within and across regions,” said AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman.
Looking ahead, he added: “Global economic prospects remain positive, anchored on expectations of firm domestic demand across regions, despite some concern over the possible adverse effects of trade tariffs. Airfares are edging higher reflecting the impact of higher fuel prices this year, but demand conditions remain relatively favourable. Overall, Asian carriers continue to explore new avenues to optimise revenue growth, in order to maintain margins.”
