MEMBER lines of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA) continued to post positive figures in October.
Air cargo traffic grew 16.6% compared to the same month last year. The average international cargo load factor for Asia-Pacific carriers was 1.1 percentage points higher at 71.1% based on 14.8% growth in offered freight capacity.
Passenger traffic reached 15.9 million, up 11.8% from October last year.
Available seat capacity was also higher by 5.4%, resulting in a 2.1-percentage point improvement in the average international load factor to 79.5%.
"The dynamic economies of Asia are powering ahead and so are its airlines," AAPA director general Andrew Herdman said.
"Passengers are back in numbers and the return of premium class passengers and airfreight is particularly welcome. The improving mix of business, coupled with disciplined capacity management, has seen Asian airlines leading the industry in returning to profitability," Herdman said.
"For the first 10 months of the year, we have seen 14.2% growth in the number of international passengers carried by Asian airlines, whilst the sharp rebound in global trade led to a 28.5% jump in our international air cargo traffic."
