Asia Pacific Airlines Carried 23.7 Million Passengers in February 2016

Preliminary traffic figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for the month of February 2016 show continued growth in international air passenger demand, while air cargo markets remain weak.

The month of February saw the region's airlines carry 23.7 million international passengers, a solid 8.2% increase compared to the same month last year. The growth in leisure travel volumes associated with the Lunar New Year festive period as well as strong long haul passenger demand, translated to a 9.5% surge in traffic in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms. Capacity expansion matched demand growth, with load factors for the month marginally lower at 78.2%.

By contrast, international air cargo demand suffered from the weakness in global trade volumes, as well as the Lunar New Year seasonal slowdown in factory operations in the region. This was reflected in a 12.1% decline in air cargo demand as measured in freight tonne kilometre (FTK) terms for the month. Freight load factors for the region's carriers remained under pressure, with the average international freight load factor registering a 8.6 percentage point decline to 56.8%, after accounting for a 1.3% expansion in offered freight capacity.

"The solid growth trend in passenger volumes seen throughout last year has been maintained, with Asian carriers reporting 9.3% growth in the number of international passengers carried in the first two months of 2016. However, air cargo markets are showing further declines, reflecting the slowdown in global trade and raising some deeper concerns about the future outlook for the wider global economy," said Mr. Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General. "The region's carriers remain positive on the outlook for further growth in travel demand in the coming year, but are continuing to focus on disciplined cost management efforts, including the effects of low oil prices and currency volatility in an intensely competitive market place."

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