AAPA freight volume dips 2.6% in July

AAPA, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, has recorded a fall in air freight tonne kilometres (FTK) for the month of July. FTK -the equivalent of transporting one metric tonne of freight a distance of one kilometre - fell 2.6% year-on-year, against a 1.8% increase in freight capacity. Increased capacity coupled with reduced demand meant that the freight load factor fell 2.9 percentage points to 64.2% for the month.

Andrew Herdman, director general of AAPA commented: "Air freight markets remained weak, with a further 2.4% fall in air freight demand during the first seven months of the year, as a result of weak demand in Europe and other key export market."

Compared to the booming passenger market (IATA recently reported international growth fo the sector of over 5% year-on-year), the air cargo market has suffered since 2008, and, in spite of brief moments of reprieve, the sector remains sluggish as companies are increasingly opting for alternative, less high end shipping solutions such as sea and road freight.

Source:  Air Cargo Week