Asia Pacific Airlines Carried 28 Million International Passengers in April 2024

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(30/05/24)
 Preliminary April 2024 traffic figures from the
Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) show strong demand for
international passenger travel, with both business and leisure
markets continuing to enjoy robust growth.

Overall, a combined total of 28 million
international passengers flew with the region’s carriers in April,
representing a 32% increase compared to the same month last year.

Traffic averaged 87.3% of 2019 volumes, whilst
demand in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) rose by 33.7%
year-on-year, showing growth notably on longer haul routes.

Available seat capacity grew by 30.4%, leading to
a 2.1 percentage point increase in the average international
passenger load factor to 81.6%.

Firefly ATR 72-500 reg: 9M-FYC at Langkawi Airport (LGK) in Malaysia. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

“Improving economic sentiment, coupled with
high demand on major routes connecting Asia and other regions,
including Europe and Southwest Pacific, drove growth in long haul
travel markets, while travel demand within the region remained
buoyant, underpinned by the easing of visa policies and resilient
expansion in the region’s economies,” said Subhas Menon, AAPA
Director General. “Overall, the number of
international passengers carried rose by 51% to a total of 117
million for the first four months of the year.”

For the region’s carriers, international air cargo demand, as
measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), recorded a 13.7%
year-on-year growth in April, whilst offered freight capacity
expanded by 14.4%, leading to a marginal 0.4 percentage point
decline in the average international freight load factor to 59.9%.

“During the same period, Asia
Pacific airlines also posted an encouraging 15% year-on-year
increase in air cargo traffic volumes, with the pick-up in global
demand supporting export activity from major manufacturing hubs
located in the region, in particular, China,” Mr. Menon said. “Positive business
and consumer confidence levels are likely to support continued
growth in air passenger and cargo markets in the coming months.
Nevertheless, supply chain constraints and higher operating costs
remain a concern, while geopolitical tensions continue to cloud
the outlook of the industry. Against this background, the region’s
carriers remain focused on improving operational efficiency and
growing sustainably, while maintaining safety standards.”

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