Preliminary traffic figures for the month of May released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed moderate growth in international air passenger markets, with sustained regional economic expansion supporting business and leisure travel markets. However, air cargo demand fell further, as export activity continued to slow in the face of challenging business conditions.

 

A combined total of 30.4 million international passengers were carried by Asia Pacific airlines in May, reflecting a 4.4% increase compared to the same month last year. Demand in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) grew by 4.5% year-on-year, surpassing the 3.6% increase in available seat capacity, resulting in a 0.7 percentage points increase in the average international passenger load factor to reach 78.5% for the month.

 

The wider imposition of trade tariffs dampened demand and affected global supply chains, leading to declines in new export orders. Consequently, the region’s airlines registered a 6.5% fall in air cargo demand as measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK) in May. Combined with a marginal 0.3% increase in offered freight capacity, the average international freight load factor fell by 4.3 percentage points to 59.0% for the month.