Asia Pacific airlines off to a good start

Figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) show that Asia Pacific-based airlines made a good start to the year, with continued growth in air cargo demand.
International air cargo demand during the month measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK) grew by 4.7%.
Offered freight capacity expanded by 3.8%, resulting in a 0.5 percentage point rise in the average international freight load factor to 59.4% for the month.
Commenting on the results, Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general said: "The year started on an encouraging note for Asian carriers, with both international air passenger and cargo markets growing strongly, boosted by the timing of the Lunar New Year holidays."
"The overall picture for the year ahead looks broadly positive, against a backdrop of renewed optimism on global growth prospects and improving consumer and business confidence across sectors.
“However, air travel markets remain intensely competitive, with margins still under pressure from the effects of rising fuel costs. Overall, airlines remain pro-active in looking for new growth opportunities, whilst carefully managing costs in a bid to preserve earnings margins."
The end-of-year figures from the AAPA show that air cargo demand measured in freight tonne kms  ended last year 1.8% up on the 2015 levels.
This follows a second-half surge in demand that saw FTKs improve by 5.7% during the final six months of the year compared with a 2.2% decline during the first half.