As per the preliminary July traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), another month of extremely weak international air passenger volumes continued amid an unrelenting rise in COVID-19 infections across Asia and elsewhere.
The number of international passengers carried by the region’s airlines totaled 1.5 million in July. The international passenger load factor averaged 31.8 percent, a sharp decline from the 82.6 percent which was achieved in July 2019, while available seat capacity for the month was 13.5 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
The strong external demand and congestion at major shipping ports boosted demand for shipment by air. Asia Pacific airlines recorded a 26.8 percent year-on-year increase in international air cargo demand as measured in freight tonne kilometres in July, slightly above the volumes recorded in July 2019.
AAPA Director General, Subhas Menon said, “By contrast, air cargo remains the single bright spot for the region’s airlines, with strong external demand boosting cargo revenue. However, this remains largely insufficient in mitigating the drastic fall in passenger volumes.”
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