Posted by- Neelam Mathews
Herdman added, “We're still seeing welcome growth in passenger demand, but airline profit margins have suffered as a result of the weak cargo market, and the impact of stubbornly high oil prices. Although key Asian economies are still performing relatively well, the operating environment remains challenging, clouded by uncertainties over prospects for the global economy.”
May 28, 2012
Preliminary traffic figures for the month of April released today by
the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed further growth in
international air passenger numbers, but international air cargo
markets remained weak.
Airlines
based in the Asia Pacific region carried 17.2 million international
passengers in April, a 12.2% increase compared to the same month last
year. In revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, international
passenger demand grew by 10.1%, reflecting significantly stronger demand
on regional routes. With traffic growth outpacing an 8.5% increase in
available seat capacity, the average international passenger load factor
was 76.3%, 1.1 percentage points higher than in the same month last
year.
Conversely,
international air cargo traffic, measured in freight tonne kilometres
(FTK), registered a 7.6% decline compared to the same month last year,
reflecting continued weakness in demand. Even with a 4.8% reduction in
offered freight capacity, the average international air cargo load
factor fell by 2.0 percentage points, to 66.3% for the month.
Commenting
on the results, Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General said, “The
first four months of this year saw a solid 8.7% increase in the number
of international passengers carried by Asian airlines, led by robust
growth on short haul regional routes.”
“However,
international air freight markets remain depressed, with Asian airlines
recording an overall 4.8% decline in cargo traffic for the first four
months of the year, exerting further downward pressure on rates, despite
reductions in offered freight capacity."
Herdman added, “We're still seeing welcome growth in passenger demand, but airline profit margins have suffered as a result of the weak cargo market, and the impact of stubbornly high oil prices. Although key Asian economies are still performing relatively well, the operating environment remains challenging, clouded by uncertainties over prospects for the global economy.”
In today's fast-paced world everyone needs everything yesterday. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the freight shipping industry. One of the quickest, most reliable methods for shipping cargo is by plane.
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