Preliminary traffic figures for the month of June released today by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed some modest growth for air cargo demand for the first time since the start of the year while international air passenger demand continued to enjoy healthy growth.

Air freight volumes for Asian airlines grew by 4.1 per cent as measured in freight tonne kilometre (FTK) terms. Offered freight capacity increased by 3.6 per cent, leading to a 0.3 percentage point increase in the average international freight load factor to 63.6 per cent for the month.

Commenting on the results, Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general said: “In the first six months of 2016, Asian airlines saw a healthy 6.2 per cent increase in the number of international passengers carried to reach an aggregate total of 144 million. International air cargo demand remained subdued, registering a 2.5 per cent decline for the first half of the year, although the uptick in the June figures is mildly encouraging.”

Looking ahead, Herdman concluded: “The demand outlook for air passenger markets remains positive, consumers are enjoying the benefits of affordable airfares, and an expanding range of services, which are helping to drive the sustained growth in travel demand. The outlook for air cargo remains a concern, reflecting generally weak trading conditions in the global economy. Asian airlines are focused on meeting the growth in travel demand, investing in new aircraft and services, whilst at the same time vigilantly keeping a tight rein on costs in order to deliver improved levels of profitability.”