News
Airline group welcomes easing borders after dismal September international passenger numbers
October 27th 2021
Association of Asia Pacific Airlines director-general, Subhas Menon, has welcomed a move by governments away from zero-COVID regimes after September proved another disaster for international passenger demand. Read More » Asia-Pacific airlines carried a combined 1.2 million international passengers, or just 4.1% of the 30 million recorded in September 2019. The international passenger load factor averaged 33% and available seat capacity was 13.9% of pre-pandemic levels. “The severe weakness in international passenger numbers seen since the onset of the pandemic reflects the border restrictions enforced by governments across the region,” Menon said. “Nevertheless, as vaccination rates increase, more governments are moving away from zero-COVID approaches to a risk-managed approach in favour of relaxation of border restrictions for vaccinated travellers. This is a welcome step towards the recovery of air travel. The encouraging increase in ticket bookings in markets where barriers to travel have been lowered also reflects strong travel confidence.” Despite the promising signs, Menon warned inconsistent health and border measures needed to be replaced by harmonised, mutually recognised protocols if passenger recovery was to gain more substantial momentum. “We urge more governments to collaborate across borders in adopting an objective risk-based approach in line with WHO and International Civil Aviation Organisation guidelines to restore global air travel mobility,’’ he said. While international passenger traffic remained depressed in September, Asia-Pacific carriers recorded a 23.3% year-on-year growth in cargo demand.
