MALAYSIA. Preliminary traffic figures for February released today by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed positive growth in international air passenger terms.
Airlines based in the Asia Pacific region carried a combined total of 15.4 million international passengers in February, a +4.8% increase compared to the same month last year. Measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), international passenger demand grew by +5.1%. The average international passenger load factor declined slightly, by 0.7 percentage points to 75.3%, on the back of a +6.1% expansion in available seat capacity.
Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General said, “Passenger demand is holding up relatively well, with a +6.1% increase in the number of international passengers carried by Asia Pacific airlines over the first two months of this year, reflecting good levels of consumer confidence in Asia and some encouraging signs of economic recovery in the US, even though growth in Europe has slowed.
“The outlook for the aviation industry remains challenging, with oil averaging US$118 per barrel so far this year, which could act as a brake on prospects for the global economy, given the fragility of the recent recovery.”
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