Asia-Pacific airlines lead industry recovery

[Thomas Latt]

Asia-Pacific airlines lead industry recovery Singapore (2010-08-25)

ASIA-PACIFIC airlines had a record 17.2 million international passengers in July, an increase of 20.4 per cent from the same month last year.

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) attributed the growth to strong demand for regional routes.

AAPA figures showed international passenger traffic by Asia-Pacific airlines growing by 13.6 per cent in July, based on revenue passenger kilometres, surpassing highs achieved prior to last year's economic downturn.

AAPA director general Andrew Herdman said: :”During the first seven months of the year, Asia-Pacific airlines saw a 15.6 per cent increase in the number of international passengers carried, reflecting growing consumer confidence across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Data from IATA supported AAPA's growth findings. IATA had Asia-Pacific airlines achieving 10.9 per cent growth in passenger traffic in July, outperforming the industry's average international passenger demand of 9.2 per cent.

According to IATA, the region's airlines is expected to reap a profit of US$2.2 billion, the largest gain in dollar terms in 2010 compared to 2009.

Copyright 2010 © TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd