Asia Pacific airlines carried 190 million international passengers in 2011, 3.5% more than the previous year.

According to the preliminary full-year data released yesterday by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), the region’s international passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, grew by 3.7% last year. Available seat capacity growth for the year was a relatively optimistic 6.3%, resulting in a 2.0 percentage point fall in the average international passenger load factor, to 76.4%.

“Despite a series of natural disasters including the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, growth in international passenger traffic for Asian airlines held up relatively well in 2011,” said Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General.

These modest passenger gains were somewhat overshadowed however, by a poor cargo traffic sector, which fell 4.8%. Looking ahead, Herdman said that while the outlook for the Asia’s airlines is still bright, some clouds are already starting to gather.

“Uncertainty over prospects for the global economy in 2012 has somewhat overshadowed the immediate outlook, and airlines worldwide are bracing themselves for another challenging year ahead,” Herdman said. “Overall, however, Asian airlines still remain optimistic about longer term growth prospects, as evidenced by ambitious fleet plans, ongoing service enhancements, and the launch of innovative new business ventures.”

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