International Passenger Traffic Shows Moderate Growth in September for Asia Pacific Airlines

Demand for air cargo predictably declined following stagnant international trade activity.

While international air passenger numbers grew  moderatele, the revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) fell down a bit  (0.7 percent) with demand up by 3.4% and available seat capacity also up by 4.4%. The average international passenger load factor in September reached 78.6 percent.

Between January and September this year all Asian airlines together carried 281 million international passengers, some 4.3 percent more than during the first nine months of 2018. This growth rates is quite moderate compared to the recent years as it reflects a very challenging economic environment of today. Especially it concerns air cargo that fell by 5.8 percent from the beginning of the year and the outlook does not look very prommising in the near term due to unresolved trade frictions.

According to AAPA Director General, "Operating conditions are challenging for Asian carriers, which face intense competitive pressures against a backdrop of moderating economic sentiment. Nevertheless, airlines are carefully managing capacity expansion, exercising cost discipline, and streamlining operations in a bid to maintain profitability."

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