Boom all round for air travel in Asia Pacific
Air travel continues to soar in Asia Pacific, evidenced by new numbers released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines and profit announcements by one of its member carriers.
AAPA international passenger numbers grew by 4.1% year-on-year to 12.8 million in July. International passenger traffic in RPK terms was up 4.2% year-on-year. Capacity growth was 2.4%, resulting in an average passenger load factor of 80.1%, 1.4 percentage points higher than the same month last year.
International freight traffic, expressed in FTK terms, grew by 4.0% in July, slightly ahead of capacity growth, with the freight load factor edging up to 66.8%.
Commenting on the results, Andrew Herdman, AAPA’s Director General said, “AAPA member airlines carried 82.8 million international passengers in the first seven months of 2007, 4.6% more than the same period last year, reflecting steady growth in passenger demand.
“Continued restraint in capacity growth meant that the average passenger load factor improved by almost two percentage points to 77.0%. Air cargo traffic growth this year has been relatively weak, up just 2.8% in FTK terms for the first seven months, but 4.0% growth in July could suggest an improving trend as we move into the traditionally stronger second half of the year.”
Cathay Pacific Airways meanwhile posted a 50% increase in profit in the first six months of this year to HK$2.58 billion. Revenue stood at HK$34.63 billion, up 27.9% from the same period last year.
Strong demand and stronger yields, particularly from premium passengers flying longhaul, boosted performance, said the airline which carried 8.5 million passengers over that period, an increase of 4.1%, from Jan-June 2007.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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