Preliminary traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed that international air passenger demand plunged in February 2020, with deepening public anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic and the abrupt imposition of travel restrictions across the world...
To read the full article, please log in or enter your email below:
Preliminary traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed that international air passenger demand plunged in February 2020, with deepening public anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic and the abrupt imposition of travel restrictions across the world causing widespread disruptions to airline operations.
In aggregate, the region's airlines experienced a 43.9 per cent year-on-year fall in the number of international passengers carried to a combined 17.0 million in February. As measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), demand fell by 34.8 per cent, alongside a 20.6 per cent drop in available seat capacity. As a result, the average international passenger load factor tumbled by 14.4 percentage points to 66.6 per cent for the month.
Meanwhile, air cargo demand held up remarkably well, despite the effects of extended factory closures and lockdowns in China crippling the supply and distribution of manufactured goods nationwide and related international trade flows. These declines were partly offset by higher demand for air shipments of intermediate goods, including pharmaceutical and food supplies, within the region.
Overall, Asia Pacific airlines registered a 3.0 per cent year-on-year decline in international air cargo demand in freight tonne kilometres (FTK) terms in February. Comparatively, offered freight capacity fell by a sharp 13.5 per cent, with belly-hold capacity declining in tandem with the progressive cuts in the number of passenger flights over the course of the month. As a result, the average international freight load factor increased by 6.5 percentage points to 60.3 per cent for the month.
Commenting on the results, Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General said, "Asian airlines saw passenger demand for international air travel demand plunge in February as a result of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Overall, for the first two months of the year, the number of international passengers travelling on Asian airlines fell by 21 per cent to 50 million passengers."
"During the same period, international air cargo demand fell by a relatively modest 5 per cent, under challenging business conditions resulting from disruptions to production and logistics supply from large exporting markets in the region."
Andrew added, "Since February, we have seen a further sharp deterioration in the overall situation. As COVID-19 became a global pandemic, severe travel restrictions and falling demand have forced steep capacity cuts across the majority of airline route networks, with some airlines virtually halting all international flights, whilst others are planning to maintain minimal levels of connectivity by operating a small number of passenger services in the coming months. Asian airlines are also working closely with governments and related stakeholders to mount a number of humanitarian and evacuation flights to bring home stranded nationals."
Andrew added, "Meanwhile, demand for air cargo remains relatively unaffected, and every effort is being made to ensure that shipments of critical relief supplies including medical equipment, and food products can continue to be transported safely and efficiently around the world. Asian airlines account for over one third of global air cargo flows, and operate large numbers of dedicated freighter aircraft. The sharp fall in passenger services has removed significant belly-cargo capacity from the market place. A number of airlines are now operating supplementary cargo services using passenger aircraft to meet the demand."
"The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges, both operational and financial, to the airline industry and the wider travel and tourism sector worldwide. Whilst some governments have moved quickly to provide measures of financial support, much more needs to be done to reduce the risks of permanent damage to critical sectors of the economy."
The Trump administration has authorized a significant military transfer of weapon systems to Israel worth around US$3 billion, without a…
Vietnam has secured a US$680 million deal with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the purchase of two spy satellites. According…
U.S intelligence organizations are trying to confirm information about Iran receiving permission from Russia to assemble Su-35 and Su-30 fighter…
Baykar Technologies and Leonardo on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a Italy-based joint venture for the…
SkyFive and Akses Prima Indonesia (API) have announced a partnership to introduce an Air-to-Ground (A2G) inflight connectivity network in Indonesia,…
Deutsche Aircraft has appointed Patricia Ferrari as Vice President of Supply Chain. She will oversee the company’s supply chain operations,…
The European Defence Agency (EDA) has selected Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER S-100 for its “Autonomous Systems for Cross-Domain Logistics (Air and Land)”…
Italy’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams have received advanced radar technology from Camero-Tech to assist in locating survivors in…
The Air Astana Group has increased its fleet to 60 aircraft following the arrival of a new Airbus A320neo in…
Lockheed Martin’s LM 400 technology demonstration is scheduled to launch no earlier than 15 March aboard a Firefly Aerospace Alpha…
Fly Across MRO has joined Embraer’s Authorised Service Centre Network for Executive Jets, providing base maintenance services for the Phenom…
LCR Embedded Systems has introduced the DK3HS-4, a four-slot VPX development platform designed to support 100Gb data rates (25Gb per…
Dedienne Aerospace has renewed its CFM LEAP tooling licence with CFM International for a further 10 years. The agreement extends…
FLUX GmbH (FLUX) has announced a new 300mm size option for its IND-MAX range of inductive angle encoders, designed for…
Orbit Communication Systems Ltd. has launched the MPT30Ka Deployable SATCOM System, a portable satellite communication terminal designed for rapid deployment…
AAR CORP. has entered into an exclusive distribution and licence agreement with BELAC LLC, a subsidiary of Chromalloy, for Parts…
Boeing's X-66 Sustainable Flight Demonstrator has completed two initial wind tunnel tests using scale models, a necessary step before a…
Assac Networks, a subsidiary of Aspis Cyber Technologies Inc., has secured a contract with a government authority in Asia to…
The U.S. Army’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) has acquired a THeMIS Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) from Milrem…
Muirhead has introduced BioPRO Foam, a protein-based aviation biofoam that is naturally fire-resistant. The patented material is made using hydrolysed…
Korean Air has introduced a new corporate value system as it commemorates its 56th anniversary. The initiative, called "KE Way,"…
Lockheed Martin has announced that the global fleet of F-35 aircraft has accumulated more than 1 million flight hours. The…
Three MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters underwent Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) flights in January as part of efforts to…
BAE Systems and Hamek have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by which they wili work together to support Norway’s…
Turkiye has offered Indonesia the opportunity to participate in the co-development and co-production of its domestically developed 5th-generation fighter jet,…
A Philippine Air Force (PAF) FA-50 fighter jet that went missing during a night operation has been located on Mount…
Singapore will procure two additional Type 218SG diesel-electric submarines, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced in a parliamentary statement on…
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) tested its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during Nankai Rescue 2024, a disaster response exercise led by…
Aselsan's GÖZDE Guidance Kit has made history by precisely striking a high-speed moving target during a test conducted with F-16…
Northrop Grumman and Hanwha have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in connection with South Korea's Mine Countermeasures Helicopter (KMCH)…
Headquartered in Singapore with reporters spread across all major regions, GBP Aerospace & Defence is a leading media house that publishes three publications that serve the aerospace and defence sector - Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News. Known industry-wide for quality journalism, GBP Aerospace & Defence is present at more international tradeshows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
For over three decades, our award-winning team of reporters has been producing top-notch content to help readers stay abreast of the latest developements in the field of commercial aviation, MRO, defence, and Space.
Copyright 2024. GBP. All Rights Reserved.
Home Defence & Security Space Commercial Aviation Maintence Repair & Overhaul Daily News Events About Us
2025 GBP all rights reserved.