Cargo stabilises, but outlook remains dull

May statistics

by ORIENT AVIATION 

September 1st 2013

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Asia-Pacific airlines carried 17.3 million international passengers in May, up 3.8%. The trend was broadly in line with a regional slowdown in trade activities on the back of a moderation in China’s economy. Read More »

Measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), international passenger traffic grew 4%. Coupled with a 5.9% increase in available seat capacity, the average international passenger load factor (PLF) declined 1.3 percentage points to 74.1% for the month.

Overall, during the first five months of the year, international passenger demand grew 4.2%, whilst available seat capacity increased 4%, which resulted in a marginal 0.2 percentage point increase in the average international PLF to 77.1%.

FREIGHT

Asia-Pacific carriers registered a marginal 0.4% increase in international air cargo demand in freight tonne kilometres (FTK) in May, compared to the same month last year. Although year-on-year FTK growth rates appeared to have stabilised in recent months, there has been no clear evidence of a turnaround in air cargo markets for Asian carriers.

The outlook remains cloudy with key export markets experiencing a slowdown in trade activities. The average international air freight load factor (FLF) was 1.1 percentage points lower, at 65.2%, on a 2.2% increase in offered freight capacity.

During the first five months of 2013, international freight demand declined 2.4%, whilst available freight capacity fell 1.4%. This resulted in a slight 0.6 percentage point fall in the average international FLF to 65.2%.

JUNE

Preliminary figures showed Asia-Pacific airlines carried 18.3 million international passengers in June, a 7.1% growth compared to the same month last year. International passenger traffic, in RPK terms, grew 5.7% whilst available seat capacity expanded 6.4%. This resulted in a modest 0.5 percentage point fall in the average international PLF to 79.6% for the month.

International air cargo demand, expressed in FTK terms, was 2.2% lower in June compared to the same month last year. This reflected continued weakness in key export markets. Offered freight capacity increased marginally by 0.3%, which led to a 1.7 percentage point fall in the average international FLF to 66.2%.

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This report was compiled by the Research and Statistics Department of the AAPA Secretariat.