Disciplined carriers control cargo capacity

February statistics

by ORIENT AVIATION 

June 1st 2013

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Asia-Pacific airlines experienced a solid 9.7% increase in the number of international passengers carried in February to 17.2 million, driven by a boost in travellers during the Chinese New Year holiday. Read More »

Measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), international passenger traffic increased 6.7%, a reflection of robust demand for regional routes. Available seat capacity expanded 3.6%, which resulted in a 2.3 percentage point increase in the average international passenger load factor (PLF) to 77.7% for the month.

The first two months of the year saw an encouraging 4.7% rise in passenger numbers, a continuation of the positive growth trend seen since the 2008-2009 global recession. A combination of sustained demand coupled with disciplined capacity management led to a rise in PLF in January and February to 77.8%, slightly above the global average of 76.9%.

FREIGHT

International air cargo demand of Asia-Pacific based carriers, expressed in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), declined 13.6% in February, exacerbated by manufacturing plant closures during the Chinese New Year holiday. Available freight capacity contracted 9.2%, which led to a 3.2 percentage point fall in the average international air freight load factor (FLF) to 63.2% for the month.

During the first two months of the year, international freight demand fell 4.5% compared to the same period last year, a continuation of prevailing soft markets seen for the past two years.

Persistent weakness in air cargo markets have led to absolute volumes falling below the corresponding pre-recession period in 2008 by 9%. In spite of the falling cargo demand, continued reduction in available freight capacity has led to relatively stable load factors since mid-2012.

The average international FLF for Asia-Pacific carriers during this period was 63.1%, higher than the global average of 47%.

MARCH

Preliminary statistics for March show a total of 18.6 million international passengers were carried by Asia-Pacific airlines in March, 7.4% more than in the same month last year. This figure was supported by sustained growth in business travel markets and robust demand for leisure travel during the Easter holiday period.

Measured in RPKs, international passenger traffic increased 5.4%, which reflected relatively strong demand on regional routes. Available seat capacity was up 2.9%, which resulted in a 1.8 percentage point increase in the average international PLF to 79.3% for the month.

Asia-Pacific carriers reported a 3.1% decline in international air cargo demand as measured in FTKs, compared to March last year. Combined with a 2.1% reduction in offered freight capacity, the average international FLF fell slightly by 0.6 percentage points to 69.2%.

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