Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Asia Pacific airlines saw a 22.6% rise in international passengers in July 2024, driven by relaxed visa policies and strong e-commerce air cargo demand. Today’s release of the July 2024 traffic statistics by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines highlights a robust expansion in international air travel.
Efforts to boost tourism in the region are paying off, evidenced by eased visa regulations contributing to a significant uptick in leisure travel during the prime summer vacation period. In July, Asian carriers transported 31.9 million international passengers, marking a 22.
6% increase compared to last year. This surge brought passenger numbers to 95.5% of those recorded in July 2019.
The growth in available seat capacity, which rose by 21.2%, slightly exceeded the 20.5% increase in demand, as measured by revenue passenger kilometers (RPK).
Consequently, the average load factor for international passengers dipped slightly by 0.6 percentage points to 82.6%.
The air cargo sector also saw gains, driven by strong e-commerce activity and persistent challenges in sea freight. The demand for international air cargo, measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTK), climbed 12.3% year-on-year in July.
With cargo capacity up by 11.0%, the average load factor for international freight improved by 0.7 percentage points, reaching 61.
1% during the month. Commenting on the results, Mr. Subhas Menon, AAPA Director General said , “The strong demand trend observed i.