AAPA chief upbeat on traffic recovery but wary of supply chain impact

Continued supply chain issues affecting the delivery of new aircraft and maintenance upkeep times for the existing fleet is one of the biggest potential risks to expected growth this year among Asia-Pacific airlines. Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA) director general Subhas Menon says carriers in the region are expected to contribute around half the global industry’s traffic growth this year, as they continue building back after a relatively late re-opening from Covid travel restrictions. Preliminary data for 2023 from AAPA shows international passenger numbers for carriers in the region jumped from 107m in 2022 to almost 279m – an increase of around 160%. ”On average in 2023, in terms of demand, we were back to 72% [of 2019 levels] overall,” Menon tells FlightGlobal. ”In December it was 80%. It [the traffic recovery] would have been stronger if supply chain issues had not hampered the timely delivery of aircraft and spares, and parts. It is an ongoing issue, not only in the Asia-Pacific region. But the Asia-Pacific region’s recovery coincided with the supply chain issues. That is holding back the numbers returning to what they were.” Menon highlights the strong improvement in passenger load factor, which climbed nearly nine percentage points to 80.9%. “That is as strong as they were pre-Covid. So business as usual. If you look at 10 busiest routes, seven of them are in Asia,” he says.<br/>