Asian airlines record modest cargo growth in June

Asia Pacific airlines recorded “modest growth” in cargo demand in June for the first time since the start of the year, but concerns for future growth remain.
Figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) show that Asian airlines saw cargo volumes increase by 4.1% in June in terms of freight tonne km. For the first six month of the year demand is down on a year earlier.
AAPA director general Andrew Herdman said: “International air cargo demand remained subdued, registering a 2.5% decline for the first half of the year, although the uptick in the June figures is mildly encouraging.
“The outlook for air cargo remains a concern, reflecting generally weak trading conditions in the global economy.
“Asian airlines are focused on meeting the growth in travel demand, investing in new aircraft and services, whilst at the same time vigilantly keeping a tight rein on costs in order to deliver improved levels of profitability."
Air cargo capacity for June increased by 3.6% − below the demand increase – and as a result Asian airlines saw their average cargo load factor improve by 0.3 percentage points to 63.6% for the month.
For the first six months, load factors are behind the 2015 level at 64.1% compared with 67.1% last year.