Slow Freight Growth for Asia-Pac Carriers

Slow Freight Growth for Asia-Pac Carriers
(Cargonews Asia)

International freight traffic carried by Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) grew just 2.1 percent in April. However, the average cargo load factor for the month gained 1.6 percentage points to 67.2%, on a 0.3% reduction in offered capacity.

“Airlines around the world are struggling to cope with the impact of runaway oil prices, amidst signs of weakening demand growth, for both business and leisure traffic,” said Andrew Herdman, AAPA’s director-general. “Sharply higher fuel costs are inevitably driving up the cost of travel. Meanwhile, airlines are looking to cut back poorly performing routes, whilst maximising their utilisation of more fuel-efficient aircraft. Nevertheless, after the doubling of oil prices over the past year, there is no sign of any respite from the current challenges.”