Business Digest
TEST ONLY -- Cargo still in the doldrums
January statistics
May 1st 2012
Asia-Pacific carriers reported a 7.3% increase in international air passengers to 17.2 million in January, a figure underpinned by a boost from leisure markets during the Lunar New Year festival. In revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, international passenger traffic grew 6.3%. Read More »
While passenger demand continued to increase, load factors (PLF) declined from the end of 2010 with capacity exceeding demand. Available seat capacity grew 6.5% in January, which resulted in a slight 0.2 percentage point fall in the average international PLF to 78.2%. Nevertheless, the region’s average PLF has remained well above the global average of 76.6%.
FREIGHT
In contrast to passenger markets, Asia-Pacific international freight markets weakened further in January, caused in part by the closure of factories during the Chinese New Year holidays. Measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTKs), international air cargo demand fell 14.4% in the month under review compared to January last year.
Despite a 6.7% reduction in freight capacity, the average international freight load factor (FLF) fell 5.4 percentage points to 60%. The average FLF for Asia-Pacific carriers remained significantly higher than the industry average of 45.3%.
FEBRUARY 2012
Preliminary figures for airlines based in the Asia-Pacific region showed a combined total of 15.4 million international passengers were carried in February, a 4.8% increase compared to the same month last year.
Measured in RPKs, international passenger demand grew 5.1%. The average international PLF declined slightly (0.7 percentage points) to 75.3%, on the back of a 6.1% expansion in available seat capacity.
International air cargo demand grew 7.8% in FTKs compared to the softer freight market conditions last year when the Lunar New Year fell in February. Offered freight capacity rose 6%. The average international FLF was 66.1%.
