August sees another double-digit cargo growth for AAPA members

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) released traffic figures for August, and it comes as no surprise that the good times are still rolling for air cargo with another month of double-digit demand growth.

AAPA member airlines reported 12.2 percent year-over-year growth in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) for the month of August and rapidly outpaced freight capacity growth of 5.6 percent, leading to another increase in their collective freight load factor of 3.8 percentage points, y-o-y, to 64.1 percent for the month.

As was the case with July’s AAPA figures, solid global business conditions and manufacturing sectors – pharmaceutical products and technological equipment in particular – contributed to the demand increase for August. Year-to-date, Asia-Pacific-based airlines have seen a 10.6 percent increase in freight traffic, compared with the same period in 2016, said AAPA director general Andrew Herdman.

AAPA’s outlook for air cargo in the months ahead and beyond is also positive. “Broad-based expansion in global economic output should help to sustain further growth in both air passenger and air cargo traffic demand in the upcoming months,” Herdman said. In a more cautious note, he added that Asian carriers today face “highly competitive air fares and rising costs” – challenges which Herdman said in earlier months will require a focus on cost-management to meet.