ASIA PACIFIC. International air travel demand in Asia Pacific surged +20% year-on-year in January, fuelled by increased leisure travel during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Preliminary figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) reveal that the region’s airlines served a total of 35.2 million international passengers during the month.
Measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), international passenger demand rose +22.5%, outpacing the +17.4% year-on-year growth in available seat capacity.
This boosted the average international passenger load factor by 3.5 percentage points, to 83.7%.
AAPA Director General Subhas Menon said: “The year began on a positive note for Asia Pacific carriers, with both international air passenger and cargo markets posting encouraging growth, underpinned by the timing of the Lunar New Year holidays.”
Looking ahead, Menon concluded: “Growth prospects remain promising in the coming months, against a backdrop of steady expansion in global economic activity. However, ongoing geopolitical and trade tensions pose potential risks to both business sentiment and consumer demand in the months ahead.
“The region’s airlines are closely monitoring developments, whilst carefully managing costs to boost operating economics.” ✈
