Asian airlines fill more seats

Air traffic remains  buoyant in Asia with the Kuala Lumpur-based Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) reporting good growth in July passenger numbers as airlines filled more seats.

AAPA reported that July passenger numbers were up 10.2 per cent compared to a year ago at 26.2 million. That translated to a healthy growth of 8.4 per cent in terms of the way airlines normally measure traffic, revenue passenger kilometres.

The association said the strength on both regional and long-haul routes combined with a 7.3 per cent rise in available seat capacity to push up average international passenger loads by 0.8 percentage points to 81.8 per cent for the month.

There was also a welcome 3.9 per cent increase in air cargo volumes for Asian airlines in July. This  outstripped modest capacity growth to increase the average international freight load factor by 0.4 percentage points to 62.1 per cent.

AAPA director general Andrew Herdman said the first  seven months of the year saw Asian airlines post a solid 6.8 per cent increase in the number of international passengers to bring the total to 170.3 million.

“International air cargo demand has been relatively weak, with year-to-date demand registering a 1.5 per cent decline compared to the same period a year ago, but we have seen a modest pickup in air cargo volumes during the past couple of months," he said.

“The overall demand outlook for air passenger markets remains positive, as air travellers in the region continue to enjoy the benefits of affordable fares, although demand for some European destinations has been affected by security concerns.

“Given highly competitive market conditions, Asia Pacific airlines are focusing on carefully managing costs, whilst continuing to deliver high levels of customer service.”