AIR CARGO demand continued to perform strongly in April despite disruptions in the early part of the month due to ash spews of a volcano in Iceland.
The Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said the passenger industry also posted gains in April because of the strengthening global economy.
AAPA data showed there was a 32.1% growth in freight ton kilometers (FTK) in April compared to the same month last year. Even with a 13.2% increase in freight capacity, the average international cargo load factor for Asia Pacific carriers grew 10.3 percentage points to 71.9%.
The number of passengers totaled 15.2 million, 11.7% more than the total transported by AAPA member lines in April 2009. International passenger traffic, in revenue passenger kilometer terms, rose 8.9%. With available seat capacity posting a modest growth of 1.2%, the average international passenger load factor increased 5.6 percentage points to 78.4%.
