AAPA Reports January 2010 Traffic

Preliminary figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) provide further evidence of a continuing recovery in demand for air travel.

 Collectively, airlines based in the Asia Pacific region carried a total of 14.9 million international passengers in January 2010, 8.1% more than in the same month last year. International passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, grew by 7%. With available seat capacity having been trimmed by 0.7%, the average international passenger load factor reached 78.6%, 5.6 percentage points higher than in the same month last year.

The rebound in international air cargo demand seen in the fourth quarter of last year maintained its momentum in January, with Asia Pacific based airlines registering 33.1% year-on-year growth in freight tonne kilometre terms (FTK) compared to the market lows reached in the same month last year. The average international air cargo load factor for Asia Pacific carriers was 12.6 percentage points higher, at 66.4% for the month.

Commenting on the results, Mr. Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General said, “After two extremely difficult years, the initial signs for 2010 are quite encouraging. Nevertheless, it is still a very challenging operating environment. Air travel demand is growing again, in line with the broader recovery, led by dynamic economies in the Asia Pacific region. Short haul leisure traffic led the trend, followed by long haul routes and, more recently, evidence of renewed demand for business travel as companies seek to rebuild business and connect with new customers. Current passenger volumes are already getting back to the pre-recession levels recorded in early 2008, with prospects for further growth ahead.”

“In the international air cargo market, the strong momentum of recent months has been maintained in line with a general recovery in international trade, although it is worth noting that air cargo volumes are still 7% lower than they were two years ago, in January 2008,” Mr. Herdman added.b“Despite welcome signs of an ongoing recovery in demand, airlines are still facing an uphill battle to restore profitability in the face of stubbornly high oil prices, whilst low ticket prices reflect competitive forces and under-utilised capacity across the industry as new aircraft deliveries outpaced demand growth.”

See recent travel news from: Travel News Asia, Rest Detail, Hua Hin, AAPA, January 2010