Moderate August rise for Asian air cargo

Preliminary traffic figures for August by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed a moderate rise in international air cargo markets although "persistent weakness" in global trade remains a concern.
Asia Pacific airlines saw international air cargo demand in August grow by 2.5% in freight tonne kilometre (FTK) terms. The average international freight load factor edged marginally higher by 0.1 percentage points to 60.5% in August, on a 2.3% increase in offered freight capacity.
The region’s airlines carried a total of 25.9m international passengers in August, 4.1% more than the same month last year.
Commenting on the results, Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general said that global freight markets remained subdued, noting that “Asia Pacific airlines saw generally lacklustre international air cargo demand for the January-August period, registering a 0.7% volume decline compared to the same period last year, although the shortfall has narrowed following a modest uptick in recent months”.
Looking ahead, Herdman concluded: “Asian economies are still growing, and demand for air travel has been boosted by rising incomes and the widespread availability of affordable airfares, but growth rates may moderate as oil prices have now stabilised, adding to competitive pressures. 
“For the air cargo markets, the persistent weakness in global trade conditions remains a concern, with rates remaining depressed despite the recent uptick in air cargo activity.”