Asia Pacific-based airlines carried a total of 14.6 million international passengers in May, 17.6 percent more compared to the same month last year.
International passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), grew by 14.6 percent. With a 3.3 percent expansion in capacity, the average international passenger load factor increased by 7.3 percentage points to 74.6 percent.
Andrew Herdman, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) director general, said, “The latest set of air traffic figures confirm the underlying strength of the economic recovery, led by dynamic growth in the Asia Pacific region.
“For the first five months of the year, Asia Pacific carriers reported a 10.7 percent increase in international passenger traffic, as both leisure and business travel demand picked up."
Herdman added, “Asia Pacific airlines are responding quickly to meet the welcome upturn in demand, whilst carefully managing capacity and costs.
"Both business confidence and consumer sentiment are signalling a generally positive outlook for the second half of the year.
"This should give a boost to the travel and tourism industry, which is a significant driver for many economies in the region. Hopefully that, in turn, will be reflected in improved financial results for the region’s airlines.”
