Asia Pacific Airlines Carried 25.7 Million International Passengers in August 2023

Dark/Light Mode (05/10/23)  Preliminary August 2023 traffic figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) show further recovery in international passenger markets, underpinned by robust travel demand and expansion in city-pair connections from both outside and within the region.

In total, Asia Pacific airlines carried 25.7 million international passengers in August 2023, a solid 129.7% year-on-year growth compared to the same month last year, bringing demand to average 76.5% of pre-pandemic levels.

In revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), demand rose by 102% year-on-year, whilst available seat capacity expanded by 88.7%, leading to a 5.4 percentage point increase in the average international passenger load factor to 82.8%.

Singapore Airlines aircraft at Changi. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

“Despite the moderation in global economic activity, demand has continued to grow in the services sectors, including travel and tourism,” said Subhas Menon, AAPA Director General. “Against this background, Asia Pacific airlines saw a healthy 232% increase in the number of international passengers carried to a combined 171 million during the first eight months of the year.”

Air cargo demand, measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), saw a slight 1.8% year-on-year fall in August when compared to the subdued volumes recorded in the same month last year.

International freight load factors remained under pressure, recording a 6.6 percentage point decline to average 58.8% for the month, after accounting for a 9.2% year-on-year expansion in offered freight capacity.

“Asian airlines recorded a 7.6% decline in international air cargo demand in August, reflecting prevailing weakness in international trade flows. In addition, the normalisation of container shipping rates affected demand for air shipments of non-time sensitive goods,” said Mr. Menon.

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.

“Forward booking trends indicate resilient travel demand in the coming months. While this augurs well for the passenger business segment, airlines are facing higher costs, driven by inflation and the recent rise in jet fuel prices, which threaten to squeeze margins. Delays in aircraft deliveries and parts shortages may affect airline fleet deployment plans. Competition is also intensifying, in tandem with the increase in capacity globally,” said Mr. Menon. “Asian airlines remain focused on efforts to increase productivity, as the industry strives to return to profitability following three consecutive years of heavy losses.”

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