Preliminary September 2026 traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) show that international passenger numbers edged up from a year earlier, following five consecutive months of year-on-year declines. For the month, Asia Pacific airlines carried a combined total of 30.4 million international passengers, a marginal 0.7% increase compared to a year earlier.

Performance remained uneven across markets, with capacity reductions contributing to lower passenger traffic on some routes, while longer-haul markets continued to grow, supported in part by passengers choosing routings that avoided Middle East hubs.

Meanwhile, air cargo markets benefited from stronger global manufacturing activity, increased purchases of raw materials and components, and sustained demand for AI related goods.

International air cargo demand, as measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), grew by a firm 6.4% year-on-year, outpacing the 4.9% expansion in offered freight capacity. As a result, the average international freight load factor rose by 0.8 percentage points to 60.3% for the month.

Source: AAPA

 

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