Leisure travel demand up in July, as China-based carriers gain: AAPA

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has found a “significant” rise in leisure travel demand in July, helped by a relaxation of visa policies, and despite ongoing supply chain challenges. According to the association, Chinese carriers are seeing “solid growth” on their international routes, which has pushed July’s Asia-Pacific interational traffic results closer to pre-pandemic levels. AAPA director general Subhas Menon says: “Despite ongoing supply chain disruptions, the outlook for travel markets remains positive, as Asia Pacific airlines continue to benefit from resilient business and leisure demand. In particular, China-based airlines are experiencing solid growth in passenger demand as traffic in China recovers, driving overall expansion.” For the month, Asia-Pacific airlines carried 31.9m passengers, up 22.6% year on year, and about 95.5% that of pre-pandemic 2019. Capacity grew 21%, marginally outpacing a 20.5% increase in traffic, which led to a 0.6 percentage point dip in passenger load factor to 82.6%. On the cargo front, demand grew about 12% year on year, while freight capacity rose 11%. The air cargo segment benefitted from strong e-commerce demand as well as the ongoing maritime shipping disruptions. Adds Menon: “In response to passenger demand in a dynamic marketplace, Asian airlines are pursuing new revenue opportunities by launching innovative products and services.” <br/>