KUALA LUMPUR – Preliminary figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) provide further evidence of a continuing recovery in demand for air travel.
Collectively, airlines based in the Asia Pacific region carried a total of 14.9 million international passengers in January 2010, 8.1 percent more than in the same month last year.
International passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, grew by 7.0 percent. With available seat capacity having been trimmed by 0.7 percent, the average international passenger load factor reached 78.6 percent, 5.6 percentage points higher than in the same month last year.
Said Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general, “After two extremely difficult years, the initial signs for 2010 are quite encouraging.
“Nevertheless, it is still a very challenging operating environment. Air travel demand is growing again, in line with the broader recovery, led by dynamic economies in the Asia Pacific region.
“Short haul leisure traffic led the trend, followed by long haul routes and, more recently, evidence of renewed demand for business travel as companies seek to rebuild business and connect with new customers.
“Current passenger volumes are already getting back to the pre-recession levels recorded in early 2008, with prospects for further growth ahead.â€
Herdman concluded, “Despite welcome signs of an ongoing recovery in demand, airlines are still facing an uphill battle to restore profitability in the face of stubbornly high oil prices, whilst low ticket prices reflect competitive forces and under-utilised capacity across the industry as new aircraft deliveries outpaced demand growth.â€
