AAPA data shows mixed results for air cargo
Despite increased capacity, airfreight demand in the Asia-Pacific region dropped slightly in February, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) reports. In fact, the average international cargo load factor decreased by four percentage points, falling to 69.7 percent.
AAPA reported that global airfreight demand in February was 4.2 percent lower than 2010 averages. What’s more, cargo capacity grew by 1.7 percent, making these numbers even more pronounced.
“Taken together, in the first two months of this year, Asia-Pacific airlines saw 5.8 percent growth in international passenger numbers compared to the same period last year, underpinned by continuing solid economic growth across the region,” AAPA Director Andrew Herdman said in a statement.
Although he acknowledges that global airfreight demand has stabilized since 2010 levels, Herdman points to the moderate growth experienced in the Asia-Pacific region.
Herdman revealed that airlines are currently adjusting their schedules to match capacity with demand. After all, he said, the March tsunami in Japan has affected airfreight demand tremendously. “We can expect to see significantly lower demand for travel both to and from Japan in the next couple of months, before consumer confidence is restored and normal travel patterns are reestablished, hopefully by the second half of the year,” he said in a statement.
