Asia Pacific airlines post solid +5.3% increase in international traffic in April

ASIA PACIFIC. Asia Pacific airlines carried a total of 25.6 million international passengers in April, representing a solid +5.3% year-on-year increase.

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said the encouraging expansion in air passenger demand came on the back of sustained growth in the global economy.

Reflecting solid growth in long-haul travel markets, demand as measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) grew by +9.2%. AAPA said the growth in demand, coupled with a +6.2% expansion in available seat capacity, led to a 2.3 percentage point increase in the average international passenger load factor to a high of 80.4% for the month.

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AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman commented: “The broad-based expansion in global economic activity, coupled with renewed demand on selected routes, particularly between Europe and Asia, has contributed to growth in long-haul travel markets in recent months, whilst regional travel markets remain strong supported by a combination of competitive air fares and expansion in the region’s economies.

“Overall, during the first four months of the year, Asian carriers registered a +5.2% increase in the number of international passengers carried to an aggregate total of 103 million.”

Looking ahead, Herdman concluded: “Business and consumer confidence indicators remain positive and underpin expectations of continued growth in air passenger and cargo markets in the coming months. However, the impact of rising fuel and staff costs are a concern, particularly as airfares have remained low in an intensely competitive environment.

“Nevertheless, Asian airlines remain proactive in reviewing their operations, implementing cost-cutting measures and streamlining business processes, with the aim of improving efficiency and sustaining profitability.”

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