ASIA PACIFIC. International passenger traffic at Asia Pacific airlines was up +8.4% year-on-year in August, to 32 million.
The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said the robust growth was driven by higher leisure travel demand during the peak holiday season, with consumer confidence underpinned by ongoing economic expansion.
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Demand in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms increased +8.2%, which AAPA said reflected strong contributions from both regional and long haul travel markets. The comparatively moderate +6.2% expansion in available seat capacity led to a 1.5 percentage point increase in the average international passenger load factor, to a record ten-year high of 83.4%.
In the first eight months of 2018, the region’s airlines recorded a +8% increase in international passengers to a combined total of 239 million.
“The ongoing expansion in the global economy is sustaining high levels of consumer confidence which should continue to support further growth in both leisure and business travel markets,” said AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman.
“Asian airlines are benefitting from the sustained growth in air travel demand, and achieving high load factors, but continue to face a challenging operating environment, buffeted by the effects of high fuel prices and weak local currencies. Overall, Asian airlines remain proactive in adapting to such pressures in a bid to maintain earnings performance.”
