Air cargo markets continued to expand in June for Asia Pacific, according to preliminary traffic figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA).
For the region’s carriers, demand for air freighted goods continued to grow, helped by positive consumer and business sentiment in major developed economies.
Overall, airfreight demand in freight tonne kilometers (FTK) grew by an encouraging 4.7 percent compared to the same month last year. The average international freight load factor rose for the second consecutive month, by 0.8 percentage points to 66.1 percent in June, on a 3.4 percent growth in offered freight capacity.
“The first six months of this year saw a 4.9 percent increase in the number of international passengers carried by Asia Pacific airlines to an aggregate total of 123.5 million. Within the same period, airfreight demand grew by 4.6 percent, underpinned by a long-awaited pick-up in global trade activities,” Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general, said. “The overall traffic demand environment in the region is still expected to be positive, supported by continued growth in regional economies and further improvement in the U.S. and European economies. However, competitive pressures remain intense, forcing Asian airlines to keep a close watch on costs while carefully managing capacity.”