Asia Pacific Airlines Carried 23.7 Million International Passengers in September 2023

Dark/Light Mode (31/10/23)  According to preliminary figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), member carriers in the region recorded an 111% year-on-year increase in the number of international passengers carried to a combined total of 23.7 million in September 2023.

That brought demand to 79% of the corresponding month in 2019, a marked improvement compared to 52.9% in January.

Demand as measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) increased by 90.9% year-on-year, whilst available seat capacity expanded by 86.1%, leading to a 2-percentage point increase in the average international passenger load factor to 79.7% for the month.

“During the first nine months of the year, Asian airlines in aggregate carried 194 million international passengers, 212% more than the same period last year, reflecting very strong post-pandemic recovery in demand,” said Subhas Menon, AAPA Director General.

Singapore Airlines B777 at LHR. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

Meanwhile, following 18 consecutive months in decline since March 2022, the region’s carriers recorded an upswing in international air cargo demand in September, with a 3.2% year-on-year growth as measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK).

Whilst the increase was in part attributable to comparisons with depressed levels recorded last year, the start of the high demand season leading to the year-end festive period also contributed to growth.

International freight load factor fell by 3.3 percentage points to average 60.6% for the month, after accounting for an 8.8% year-on-year expansion in offered freight capacity.

“Air cargo demand turned positive for the first time in 2023 in September, which helped to moderate the decline for the year to date, to 6.4%,” said Mr. Menon. “It is a welcome relief to have both passenger and cargo demand on a positive footing although the fall in export orders seen across major economies still signals challenging market conditions.”

AAPA's 67th Assembly of Presidents will be held in Singapore on 9 - 10 November 2023, hosted by Singapore Airlines as AAPA Chairman for 2023.

The annual assembly is the most important event on AAPA's calendar, bringing the chief executives of member airlines and other senior members of the industry together for a day of networking, brainstorming on industry issues, and high-level discussions.

Topics discussed will include safety, fuel and renewable energy, forward bookings, passenger and cargo traffic, challenges faced by the industry, recruitment, aircraft, airports and much more.

“The outlook for the region’s travel markets is broadly positive going into the final quarter of this year, with continued expansion in air passenger demand supported by resilient growth in the Asian economies,” said Mr. Menon. “Airlines are facing increasing headwinds, marked by sharply higher fuel costs in recent months. Nevertheless, the region’s carriers are buoyed by the strong recovery of air travel in the region and are looking forward to the growth continuing into 2024.”

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