Asian airlines put in solid August performance

Expansion in international air cargo continued unabated, said the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) in its August traffic results, published on 26 September. was supported by high business confidence levels in services and manufacturing, it added.
Firm demand for manufactured products, particularly pharmaceuticals and IT equipment, underpinned a 12.2% increase in freight tonne kilometres (FTK) during the month. Volume growth significantly out-paced the 5.6% expansion in capacity, leading to a 3.8 percentage point rise in the average international freight load factor to 64.1%.
AAPA director general, Andrew Herdman, said, "Asian airlines were encouraged by the continued expansion in both international air passenger and cargo markets…international air cargo markets saw a robust 10.6% increase in freight traffic carried by Asian airlines."
Nevertheless, he added that while the sustained growth in has clearly been , it came against the backdrop of a challenging operating environment with high levels of competition and rising costs."
Looking ahead, Herdman said, "Broad-based expansion in global economic output should help to sustain further growth in both air passenger and air cargo traffic demand in the upcoming months, and the longer term outlook remains broadly positive."