Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region maintained their cargo operations growth momentum in June, driven by the continued demand for e-commerce transport and challenges in the Red Sea, leading to increased appetite for air freight.

Traffic figures released by the Kuala Lumpur-based Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed that international air cargo demand — measured in freight tonne-kilometres (FTK) — saw "an encouraging" 16.4% growth compared to the same month in 2023.

This follows a 17.9% year-on-year increase in May and a 13.7% year-on-year expansion recorded in April.

In March, international air cargo demand recorded a 15.3% year-on-year increase, extending the rebound seen in the last quarter of 2023.

 [Source: AAPA]

"Rising e-commerce appetite and security concerns in the Red Sea spurred demand for air freight shipments," AAPA said in a statement.

After accounting for a 12.6% growth in offered freight capacity, the report said the average international freight load factor climbed 2.0 percentage points to 62.8% for the month.

AAPA noted that international air cargo demand "expanded strongly," in tandem with a pick-up in manufacturing activity across the Asian economies, including China and India.

"Asian airlines are seeing robust traffic growth, in tandem with expansion in global economic activity and improvements to connectivity within the region and globally," said Subhas Menon, director-general at AAPA.

"International air cargo demand grew by 16% during the same period, as a pick-up in export activity, coupled with disruptions to maritime shipping, drove an increase in air freight volumes carried across major trade lanes," he added.

Looking ahead, Menon said both international air passenger and cargo markets are poised for further growth in the latter half of the year, driven by sustained positive momentum in the global economy, despite some uncertainties in the geopolitical landscape.

"Increased services to new and existing destinations will further boost travel demand, with traffic volumes expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the region’s carriers remain focused on safe and sustainable operations whilst maintaining cost efficiency," he added.