Asia-Pacific 2006 air passenger traffic up 4.5 pct at 134 mln - assn |
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Wed, 31 Jan 2007 12:49
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SINGAPORE (XFN-ASIA) - Airlines operating in the Asia Pacific region carried 134 mln international passengers in 2006, up 4.5 pct from the year earlier, an industry association said.Traffic measured in revenue passenger kilometers rose 3.9 pct and airlines filled an average 75.6 pct of available passenger seats, up from 73.4 pct in 2005, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said.'Careful capacity management was rewarded with the average load factor increasing to a new high of 75.6 pct,' said AAPA director general Andrew Herdman.International freight traffic, measured in freight metric ton kilometers, expanded 5.2 pct in 2006, with airlines filling up an average 66.9 pct of available cargo space.'The outlook for 2007 remains positive, with strong regional economic growth underpinning travel demand,' Herdman said.'More cautiously, although lower oil prices may provide some relief, airline profit margins remain under pressure and point to the need for continuous improvements in productivity and operating efficiency throughout the value chain.'AAPA is a trade association of 17 international airlines based in the region, including Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines.The other members are China Airlines, Dragonair, EVA Air, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Philippine Airlines, Qantas Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, Thai Airways and Vietnam Airlines.afp/net
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