AAPA reports 0.4pc slip in Asia-Pacific in September cargo volumes

THE Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) says statistics show that after six consecutive months of cargo declines in the Asia-Pacific, regional volumes were largely flat in September, only falling 0.4 per cent year on year.

The statistics further revealed that Asia-Pacific cargo carriers matched capacity and demand in September fairly well; they offered 4.3 per cent less freight space than in September 2011.

AAPA director general Andrew Herdman said he's impressed by these results: "For air cargo markets, after experiencing a 3.9 per cent year-on-year volume decline for the first nine months of the year, September was a relatively good month, only marginally below last year's figure."

Also strong in September was Asia-Pacific carriers' freight load factors, which rose 2.6 per cent, year on year, to 66.6 per cent. This figure is relatively consistent with regional airlines' performance from a nine-month standpoint; Asia-Pacific cargo carriers' load factors stalled 0.5 per cent, year over year, in the first nine months of 2012, according to AAPA data quoted by Atlanta area Air Cargo World.

Despite stalled cargo traffic, passenger volumes have been steady in the Asia-Pacific lately. Traffic surged four per cent, year over year, in September, with Asia-Pacific airlines carrying 16.7 million passengers. Despite this, this is a marked decrease from the 18.5 million passengers Asia-Pacific carriers carried in August.

Such declines speak to the "challenging" operating environment affecting Asia-Pacific carriers, Mr Herdman explained. "Margins have been under pressure from stubbornly high oil prices, and there is continuing uncertainty about the global economic outlook, despite the fact that Asian economies are still maintaining respectable growth rates," he added.