July 02, 2025
Preliminary May 2025 traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed continued growth in international passenger demand, supported by robust leisure traffic across the region. Air cargo markets also posted further gains, although the pace of growth moderated due to weaker export activity from key manufacturing economies.
The region's carriers registered a 10.4% year-on-year increase in the number of international passengers carried, reaching a combined total of 31.2 million for the month. In revenue passenger kilometres terms, demand rose by 11.3%, surpassing the 9.5% expansion in available seat capacity. Consequently, the average international passenger load factor increased by 1.3 percentage points to 80.7%.
Meanwhile, international air cargo demand, measured in freight tonne kilometres, grew by 3.0% year-on-year in May. Weaker export volumes on the US - China route, partly due to the removal of tax-free exemptions for low-value goods, were offset by increased shipments to other markets. Offered freight capacity rose by 1.3% year-on-year, resulting in a 1.0 percentage point increase in the average international freight load factor to 62.8% for the month.
Source: AAPA