Asia-Pacific cargo airlines posted a strong performance in November following a pickup in global demand for Asian exports, according to traffic figures for the month released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA).
Regional carriers logged a solid 5.4 percent increase in international airfreight throughput compared to the same month last year.
However, the average international freight load factor continued to edge downwards, registering a 0.5 percentage point fall to 67.2 percent in November, after a 6.1 percent expansion in offered freight capacity.
Air cargo demand has remained relatively weak, with volumes from January to November 2013 about 0.7 percent lower compared to the same period last year, said Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general, in an e-mailed statement.
But, he added, demand has picked up in recent months “in line with steadily improving global economic conditions.”
Looking ahead, he predicts that the air cargo industry is headed for better times, citing the “ongoing stabilization of air cargo demand, supported by the gradual improvement in global business and consumer sentiment.”
Photo: Aero Icarus
