Average international passenger load factor fell by 1.5 percentage points
THERE has been continued growth in international air passenger demand for Asia-Pacific carriers, but airlines are not maximising capacity as much as they had before, according to a report by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA).
Preliminary traffic figures for March showed that international passenger volume increased 4.5 per cent to 24.4 million compared to the same period last year.
In revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, international passenger demand registered a corresponding 4.7 per cent growth.
However, flights are operating with greater surplus capacity than before. When combined with the 6.7 per cent expansion in available seat capacity, the average international passenger load factor fell by 1.5 percentage points to 77.4 per cent in March.
This is despite an increase in international passenger numbers by 7.5 per cent to an aggregate total of 72.8 million for the first quarter of 2016.
Commenting on the numbers, Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general, said: “Overall, the growth in demand for air passenger travel remains quite robust, supported by low oil prices and the widespread availability of affordable airfares.
“Some concerns remain over the global economic outlook, but the region’s airlines are continuing to invest in new aircraft, and products and services to meet the projected growth in consumer demand,” he assured.
