Asia Pacific cargo uptick

Asia Pacific traffic figures for June show continued expansion of both international passenger and air freight markets.
Preliminary figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) saw demand for air freight helped by “positive consumer and business sentiment in major developed economies”.
Overall, air freight demand in freight tonne kilometre (FTK) terms grew by an “encouraging” 4.7 per cent 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 per cent in June, on a 3.4 per cent growth in offered freight capacity.
Asia Pacific airlines carried a combined total of 20.6 million international passengers in June, 2.1 per cent more than the like month 2013.
AAPA director general Andrew Herdman said that the growth in air freight was “underpinned by a long awaited pick-up in global trade activities”.
Commenting on the outlook for both passenger and cargo, Herdman added: "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 US and European economies.
“However, competitive pressures remain intense, forcing Asian airlines to keep a close watch on costs while carefully managing capacity."