US: Asian airlines cautious about outlook for 2020: AAPA

Asian airlines are cautious about the outlook for 2020 after trade disputes undermined confidence and led to economic growth below initial forecasts this year, the head of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said on Monday. Airline passenger growth in Asia has moderated this year to 4.4% in the nine months ended Sept. 30, down from 7.7% for the same period in 2018, AAPA statistics show. Asian cargo carriage fell 5.8% in the first nine months of the year amid a U.S.-China trade war. “I think we need to be a little bit cautious,” AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman said of the 2020 outlook after having met Asian airline CEs in Kuala Lumpur Friday. “If it turns out to be a bit better than expected then we will be ready to respond.” AAPA moved the meeting to Kuala Lumpur after cancelling plans for a larger gathering in Hong Kong, citing the “unpredictability” of the situation following months of often violent protests in the Chinese-controlled city.<br/>