AAPA Reports May 2013 Passenger Traffic

Preliminary traffic figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for the month of May 2013 show further growth in international passenger traffic and a marginal improvement in air cargo demand.

Asia Pacific airlines registered a 3.3% increase in the aggregate number of international passengers carried to 17.2 million in May. Measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), international passenger traffic grew by 3.2%. Coupled with a 5.1% increase in available seat capacity, the average international passenger load factor declined by 1.3 percentage points to 74.1% for the month.

International air cargo demand, in freight tonne kilometre (FTK) terms, was 0.5% above the levels of May last year. Combined with a 2.2% increase in offered freight capacity, the average international air cargo load factor was 1.1 percentage points lower, at 65.2%.

"Overall, during the first five months of the year, Asia Pacific airlines carried a combined total of 88.8 million international passengers, an encouraging 5.2% increase compared to the same period last year. Growth in international passenger demand for both business and leisure travel markets was sustained, despite ongoing uncertainty about the global economic outlook," said Mr. Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General. "Air cargo demand, on the other hand, has been depressed for the past couple of years. For the first five months of 2013, Asian airlines experienced a further 2.4% decline in air freight traffic volumes, reflecting weak trading conditions in key export markets."