AAPA: Asia Pacific air cargo market “resilient” in June

The Asia Pacific region’s air cargo market has remained resilient — a contrast to the “suppressed” passenger market, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA).

AAPA’s preliminary June 2021 air traffic figures show that international air cargo demand for Asia Pacific-based carriers, measured in freight tonne km (FTK), increased by 25.7% year on year, with volumes matching the same month in 2019.

Available capacity climbed by 11.7% year on year increase to an 8.2 percentage point jump in the average international freight load factor to 73.3% for the month.

Meanwhile, passenger numbers for Asia Pacific-based airlines amounted to 4.4% of the 32m carried in pre-pandemic June 2019.

Commenting on the results, Subhas Menon, AAPA director general, commented: “The already dire situation has recently been compounded by new Covid-19 infections across the region due to the Delta variant, with ongoing border restrictions holding back any meaningful restart in international travel markets. Air cargo traffic growth, supported by strong demand for both intermediate and consumer goods from the major advanced economies, remains the saving grace.”

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