International air cargo demand for Asia Pacific airlines in November was up 10.5% year on year, supported by continued e-commerce business, maritime disruption and the front-loading of export orders ahead of anticipated US tariff hikes.
Preliminary November traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) show that international air cargo demand, measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), increased by 10.5% year on year, slightly outpacing a 10% rise in offered cargo capacity.
Consequently, the average international freight load factor moved up by 0.2 percentage points to 62.3% for the month.
Subhas Menon, AAPA director general, said: “Driven by increased demand going into the year-end holiday season, air cargo markets saw healthy growth in November, contributing to a strong 14% year-on-year increase for the first eleven months of the year. Persistent operational challenges in maritime shipping and anticipated US tariff hikes further bolstered demand.”
The region’s airlines collectively carried 31m international passengers in November, a 19.8% increase compared to the previous corresponding period.
Looking ahead, Menon said that “uncertainty about the global economy and supply chain disruptions pose challenges to the region’s carriers”.
