Aspac carriers fuel 3.2% growth in global air traffic in April

MANILA, Philippines - Global air traffic rose 3.2 percent in April, with the Asia Pacific region continuing to lead growth although at a slower pace, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported.

Tony Tyler, director general and chief executive officer of IATA, said in a statement that emerging markets are continuing to lead air travel growth, with all regions reporting year-on-year gains.

“Passenger demand continued to grow in April, extending the positive trend that has been developing since late 2012. The increase, however, is concentrated in emerging markets,” he stressed.

 He pointed out that airlines in Europe and North America reported a modest expansion compared to the strong growth seen in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

“While economic developments in Europe and the US certainly bear watching, most indicators continue to signal further expansion in air travel,” he explained.

Data showed that international passenger demand in April was up three percent as capacity rose 4.3 percent, resulting in a lower load factor of 77.8 percent.

IATA reported that Asia-Pacific carriers went up by 2.4 percent, slower compared to the 5.7 percent rise in March, reflecting the softening in regional economic indicators.

European carriers increased two percent, also slower compared to 4.5 percent in March.

Major airlines in the Philippines include Philippine Airlines of taipan Lucio Tan and diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), budget airline Cebu Air Inc. (Cebu Pacific) of tycoon John L. Gokongwei Jr., Southeast Air and Tiger Airways, Philippines AirAsia Inc. and Zest Airways, among others.

Middle East carriers saw year-on-year demand rise 10.9 percent on the back of the continued expansion in trade volumes in the Middle East and Africa since late 2011, prompting regional airlines to embark on network and capacity expansion.

Latin American airlines posted year-on-year demand growth of 4.6 percent, while African airlines’ traffic climbed 4.7 percent.

Meanwhile, North American airlines’ international traffic shrank 0.5 percent in April

On the other hand, domestic markets climbed 3.5 percent in April, driven primarily by strong demand in China. Other markets experienced declines with the exception of Australia that increased 3.8 percent.

China’s domestic traffic jumped 10.8 percent, while US traffic rose 1.1 percent. Japan’s domestic market contracted 1.1 percent while Brazil saw traffic fall 3.4 percent.