AAPA reports steady growth during October

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines’ (AAPA) most recent traffic results suggest that October was a healthy month for Asia-based carriers, despite continued fears rooted in recently implemented trans-Pacific trade policies.

The average cargo traffic totals from the organization’s member airlines, measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs), increased by 5.6 percent, year-over-year, which is about on par with the results from the same month last year, in which the October figures came in at 5.8 percent higher, y-o-y.

AAPA attributed the steady growth to the beginning of seasonal peak-season traffic and a “further strengthening of global services activity,” even during a period of somewhat slower expansion in global manufacturing sectors.

Andrew Herdman, director general of AAPA, said that “prospects for further growth in air travel demand and air cargo markets remain positive,” and that “geopolitical risks and uncertainty over unresolved trade tensions are a concern, but consumer confidence levels remain relatively robust.”