Asia Pacific air freight demand was up 32.1pc in August year on year, according to figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.

AAPA director general Andrew Herdman said this was the "result of the surprisingly sharp V-shaped recovery. Traffic levels for Asian carriers have now surpassed the high water marks set before the global recession."

Mr Herdman confirmed a broadly positive outlook for the remainder of the year although reported growth rates are expected to stabilise as the recovery phase is completed.

"Looking ahead to 2011, we anticipate further growth in demand, in line with historic trends, despite some uncertainties regarding the uneven nature of the global economic recovery," he said.

Passenger volumes did well too, up 12.4 per cent. Of a total of 16.8 million international passengers in August carried by Asia Pacific-based airlines, with emphasis on demand on regional short-haul routes in contrast to international, increased by 8.4 per cent measured by revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs). Seat capacity grew by 5.3 per cent, which led to a 2.3 percentage point improvement in the average passenger load factor to 81.2 per cent.

Mr Herdman also said the strong demand during August confirmed the robustness of the ongoing economic recovery across the Asia Pacific region and the airlines' disciplined capacity management. The good results add to the first eight months of the year 14.9 per cent increase in the number of international passengers carried, he said.

Source: schednet