AAPA Reports May 2010 Traffic

Preliminary figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for the month of May 2010 show continued growth in both passenger and freight traffic.

Asia Pacific-based airlines carried a total of 14.6 million international passengers in May 2010, 17.6% more compared to the same month last year. International passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), grew by 14.6%. With a 3.3% expansion in capacity, the average international passenger load factor increased by 7.3 percentage points to 74.6%.

Continued strong demand for international air cargo shipments saw a 39% growth in traffic measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK) compared to the same month last year. International cargo load factors in May climbed 8.7 percentage points to reach 72.6%, despite 22.2% growth in freight capacity.

“For the first five months of the year, Asia Pacific carriers reported a welcome 10.7% increase in international passenger traffic, as both leisure and business travel demand picked up. International freight traffic also bounced back sharply, up 35.6% compared to last year’s slump,” said Mr Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General. “Asia Pacific airlines are responding quickly to meet the welcome upturn in demand, whilst carefully managing capacity and costs. Both business confidence and consumer sentiment are signalling a generally positive outlook for the second half of the year. This should give a boost to the travel and tourism industry, which is a significant driver for many economies in the region. Hopefully that, in turn, will be reflected in improved financial results for the region’s airlines.”

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