Preliminary traffic figures for July from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed moderate expansion in international air passenger markets and solid growth in international air cargo demand.

The region’s airlines carried a combined total of 27.7 million international passengers in July, a 3.4% increase compared to the same month last year. Continued strength in long haul travel markets underpinned a 6.2% increase in demand as measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs). Available seat capacity rose by 6.8%, leading to a marginal decline (0.5 percentage point) in the average international passenger load factor, to 81.5%.

Air cargo demand, in freight tonne kilometre (FTK) terms, recorded a solid double-digit increase of 10.9% in July, supported by new business orders from developed economies, particularly Europe. The average international freight load factor of 66.0% was 3.8 percentage points higher than the same month last year, after accounting for a 4.4% expansion in offered freight capacity.

Over the first seven months of the year, Asian airlines have carried a combined total of 182m passengers, 5.3% more than the same period last year. Air cargo markets experienced a 10.4% increase in volumes during the period, on the back of positive global business conditions.