Asian airlines post flat September cargo volumes

Preliminary figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines revealed member airlines moved 5.3 million freight ton kilometers of cargo in September on international scheduled services.    Preliminary figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines revealed member airlines moved 5.3 million freight ton kilometers of cargo in September on international scheduled services, which represents a flat result from September 2014.
   Available freight capacity on international scheduled services by member airlines rose 2.3 percent in September over last year to 8.5 million available freight ton kilometers.
   The average international freight load factor for September stood at 62.7 percent compared to 64.2 percent in September 2014.
   “Air cargo markets have weakened in recent months following the slowdown in world trade,” Association of Asia Pacific Airlines Director General Andrew Herdman said in a statement. “The region’s carriers experienced a 1.1 percent year-on-year decline in air cargo demand during the third quarter of 2015, after registering a 4.5 percent increase during the first half of the year. As a result, air cargo growth for the first nine months narrowed to 2.6 percent compared to the same period last year.”
   Based out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines is the trade association for scheduled international airlines based in the Asia-Pacific region. Its members include Air Astana, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, Dragonair, EVA Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways International.