AAPA: Asia-Pacific passenger traffic up 8.2% for August

Asia-Pacific passenger demand is continuing to expand steadily, although the year-on-year growth in cargo demand is beginning to ease, the region’s major airline group said. International passenger demand was strong in August, in economy and premium sectors and in both Asian and long-haul markets, according to data released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. The statistics include 36 airlines in the region. Traffic increased 8.2% for the month, compared to a “moderate expansion” of 6.2% in capacity. This led international passenger load factor to rise 1.5 percentage points to 83.4%. Asia-Pacific airlines are “benefiting from the sustained growth in air travel demand, and achieving high load factors, but continue to face a challenging operating environment,” AAPA DG Andrew Herdman said. He highlighted high fuel prices and weak local currencies as particular problems. However, airlines generally “remain proactive in adapting to such pressures in a bid to maintain earnings performance.”<br/>