The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has reported continued growth in both passenger and freight traffic.

Reflecting the surprisingly robust regional economic upturn, Asia Pacific-based airlines carried a total of 14.6 million international passengers in May, 17.6% more compared to the same month last year.

International passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), grew by 14.6%.

With a 3.3% expansion in capacity, the average international passenger load factor increased by 7.3 percentage points to 74.6%.

Continued strong demand for international air cargo shipments saw 39.0% growth in traffic measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTK) compared to the same month last year.

International cargo load factors in May climbed 8.7 percentage points to reach 72.6%, despite 22.2% growth in freight capacity.

Commenting on the results, Mr. Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General said, “The latest set of air traffic figures confirm the underlying strength of the economic recovery, led by dynamic growth in the Asia Pacific region.”

Mr. Herdman said for the first five months of the year, Asia Pacific carriers reported a welcome 10.7% increase in international passenger traffic, as both leisure and business travel demand picked up.

International freight traffic also bounced back sharply, up 35.6% compared to last year’s slump. Mr. Herdman added Asia Pacific airlines are responding quickly to meet the welcome upturn in demand, whilst carefully managing capacity and costs.

"Both business confidence and consumer sentiment are signalling a generally positive outlook for the second half of the year. This should give a boost to the travel and tourism industry, which is a significant driver for many economies in the region. Hopefully that, in turn, will be reflected in improved financial results for the region’s airlines.