The Association of Asia Pacific's (AAPA) preliminary figures for May 2025 showed that airlines in the Asia Pacific region carried 10.4% more passengers. The region's passenger numbers reached a total 31.2 million for the month.
Revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) rose 11.3%, surpassing the 9.5% expansion in seat capacity. International passenger load factor averaged at 80.7%, up 1.3 percentage points.
International cargo demand grew 3% in May. Weaker export volumes on the US to China route, partly due to the removal of tax-free exemptions for low-value goods, were offset by increased shipments to other markets.
Offered freight capacity rose by 1.3%, resulting in a one percentage point increase in the average freight load factor to 62.8% for the month.
“Air travel demand in the Asia Pacific region continued to see sustained growth, on the back of strong leisure and business traffic," said AAPA director general Subhas Menon. “Overall, during the first five months of the year, Asia Pacific airlines carried a total of 158 million international passengers, a 12% increase over the same period the previous year.”
He added that “continued improvements in air connectivity” will support growth in travel demand.
“Nevertheless, Asia Pacific carriers face an increasingly challenging operating environment, shaped by rising trade and geopolitical tensions, persistent supply chain constraints, and more frequent overflight diversions due to airspace closures in conflict zones,” added Menon.