Asia Pacific air passenger growth slows

Saturday, 03 Oct, 2016 0

Preliminary passenger traffic data released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) for August showed a slowdown in air travel growth within the region.

Asian airlines carried a total of 25.9 million international passengers in August, up 4.1% on the same period last year but didn’t keep pace with seat capacity which grew 6.2%.

This resulted in a 1.5% decline in average international passenger load factor to 81.5%.

"For the first eight months of the year, Asian carriers registered a healthy 6.5% increase in the number of international passengers carried to a cumulative total of 196.3 million, on the back of continued strong demand for both business and leisure travel," said Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general.

"Asian economies are still growing, and demand for air travel has been boosted by rising incomes and the widespread availability of affordable airfares, but growth rates may moderate as oil prices have now stabilised, adding to competitive pressures."

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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.