PRELIMINARY traffic figures for August released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed an increase in international air passenger demand, albeit with a decline in load factor and projections for moderation of growth rates in the near future.
Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general, said: “For the first eight months of the year, Asian carriers registered a healthy 6.5 per cent increase in the number of international passengers carried to a cumulative total of 196.3 million, on the back of continued strong demand for both business and leisure travel.”
The region’s airlines carried a total of 25.9 million international passengers in August, 4.1 per cent more than the same month last year. Measured in revenue passenger kilometre terms, international passenger demand grew by 4.2 per cent, supported by traffic growth on both regional and longhaul routes.
However, capacity expansion of 6.2 per cent outpaced the growth in demand, resulting in a 1.5 percentage point decline in the average international passenger load factor to 81.5 per cent for the month.
Looking ahead, Herdman concluded: “Asian economies are still growing, and demand for air travel has been boosted by rising incomes and the widespread availability of affordable airfares, but growth rates may moderate as oil prices have now stabilised, adding to competitive pressures.”
