Business Digest
No let up in air cargo woes
April statistics
September 1st 2013
Asia-Pacific airlines carried 17.9 million international passengers in April, 3.7% more than in the same month last year. Measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), international passenger traffic grew 2.9%, whilst available seat capacity expanded 4.8%. This led to a 1.4 percentage point contraction in the average international passenger load factor (PLF) to 76.6% for the month. Read More »
Compared with the 5.7% increase in international passengers carried in the first four months of the year, April’s year-on-year growth reflected a slight moderation in demand. Even so, this single month’s data is not an indication of a broader trend going down the road. .
International passenger demand grew 4.3% in the four months, whilst available seat capacity rose 3.5%. These figures resulted in a marginal 0.5 percentage point increase in the average international PLF, to 77.9%.
FREIGHT
Asia-Pacific carriers experienced a marginal 0.5% decline in international freight demand as measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTKs) in April. On a month-on-month basis, the contraction was a stronger 8.9%, a reflection of persistent weakness in freight markets.
Combined with a 0.9% increase in available freight capacity, international air freight load factor (FLF) averaged 65.4% for the month, 0.9 percentage points lower than the same month last year.
During the first four months of the year, international freight demand declined 3.1%, whilst available freight capacity fell 2.3%. This resulted in a slight 0.5 percentage point fall in the average international FLF to 65.2%.
MAY
Preliminary statistics showed that Asia-Pacific airlines registered a 3.3% increase in the aggregate number of international passengers carried, to 17.2 million in May. Measured in RPKs, international passenger traffic grew 3.2%. Coupled with a 5.1% rise in available seat capacity, the average international PLF declined 1.3 percentage points to 74.1% for the month.
International air cargo demand, in FTK terms, was 0.5% above the levels of May last year. Combined with a 2.2% increase in offered freight capacity, the average international FLF was 1.1 percentage points lower, at 65.2%.
* Click here for a comprehensive AAPA monthly statistics digest.
This report was compiled by the Research and Statistics Department of the AAPA Secretariat.
