Preliminary traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for January show that a 19.9% increase in passenger traffic during the month was driven by a surge in leisure travel during the Lunar New Year festive period.
The regions airlines carried 35.2 million international passengers during the month. Demand also grew, increasing by 22.5%, surpassing the 17.4% expansion in available seat capacity, compared to the year prior.
The average international passenger load factor also rose, increasing by 3.5 percentage points to 83.7% in January.
“The relatively high load factors reflect strong demand but also ongoing capacity constraints, compounded by the grounding of aircraft due to engine issues and delays in aircraft deliveries,” said Subhas Menon, AAPA director general.
He continued: “These challenges have contributed to an increase in expenditure on maintenance, aircraft leasing, and labour, while greater competition saw to lower yields and operating margins.”
In addition to passenger traffic, air cargo demand grew 4.7% in January, when compared to the previous year. Again, this was boosted by festive season demand. Belly-hold capacity also expanded by 10.9%, while the average freight load factor declined 3.3 percentage points to 55.2%.
AAPA is made up of 18 member airlines including the likes of Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and most recently Air New Zealand.
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