‘Marginal’ 2015 cargo growth for Asia Pacific airlines

Asian Pacific airlines saw a “marginal increase” in cargo markets during 2015, while passenger traffic recorded “robust growth”.
Preliminary full year 2015 traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) saw international air cargo demand, measured in freight tonne km (FTK), register a 1.6% increase for the year, reflecting the slowdown in global trade conditions.
Offered freight capacity increased by 3.5%, leading to a “deterioration” in the average international freight load factor, by 1.3 percentage points to 63.7% for the year.
For the year under review, the region’s airlines recorded a "robust" 7.9% increase in the number of international passengers carried to an aggregate total of 276.3m, "boosted by lower oil prices leading to the widespread availability of competitive airfares".
Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general said: “The region’s carriers enjoyed a year of strong growth in international passenger numbers, up 7.9% for 2015, and well ahead of the 4.9% increase recorded the year before.”
He added: “Less optimistically, air cargo markets saw only marginal growth for the year 2015, a reflection of the slowdown in global trade.”
Looking ahead, Herdman concluded: “The outlook for air travel markets in 2016 remains broadly positive, although there are some significant risk factors to consider, including increased uncertainty over the regional economic outlook. Asian airlines are closely monitoring market developments, whilst continuing to invest in future growth opportunities.”