Asia Pacific Airlines See 500% Jump in International Demand
- Demand growth far outstripping capacity expansion, AAPA says
- Strong revival in leisure and business travel as curbs lifted
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Airlines in the Asia Pacific region flew 13.4 million passengers internationally in November, compared with just 1.8 million in the same month a year earlier, according to preliminary data from their trade association.
Revenue passenger kilometers, which measures demand, surged nearly 500%, far ahead of the 187% growth in seat capacity. That resulted in a 40 percentage point jump in load factor — or how many seats are filled in a plane — to 77.4%, close to pre-pandemic levels, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines said in a statement Thursday.