Asia Pacific airlines carried 190 million passengers in 2011

Hongkong : Asia Pacific airlines carried 190 million international passengers in 2011, 3.5% more than the previous year.

According to the preliminary full-year data released  by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), the region’s international passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, grew by 3.7% last year. Available seat capacity growth for the year was a relatively optimistic 6.3%, resulting in a 2.0 percentage point fall in the average international passenger load factor, to 76.4%.

“Despite a series of natural disasters including the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, growth in international passenger traffic for Asian airlines held up relatively well in 2011,” said Andrew Herdman, AAPA Director General.

These modest passenger gains were somewhat overshadowed however, by a poor cargo traffic sector, which fell 4.8%. Looking ahead, Herdman said that while the outlook for the Asia’s airlines is still bright, some clouds are already starting to gather.

“Uncertainty over prospects for the global economy in 2012 has somewhat overshadowed the immediate outlook, and airlines worldwide are bracing themselves for another challenging year ahead,” Herdman said. “Overall, however, Asian airlines still remain optimistic about longer term growth prospects, as evidenced by ambitious fleet plans, ongoing service enhancements, and the launch of innovative new business ventures.”

Likewise, Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, handled a single-day record of 1,057 incoming and outbound flights late last week, aviation authorities announced .

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong (CAD) said the airport handled 1,057 incoming and outbound flights on Friday, setting a new daily record. It also handled 1,041 flight movements on Saturday. The previous single-day record of 1,003 flight movements was set in late April 2011.

“The Civil Aviation Department is encouraged by this new movement record and its smooth air traffic operation,” a CAD spokesman said on Monday. “As usual, CAD’s Air Traffic Management Division has deployed additional staff to cater for the seasonal demands. We are always committed to ensure a safe and efficient Air Traffic Service to the travelling public.”

CAD attributed the increase in flight movements to the increased demand during the Chinese New Year, which is the year’s biggest holiday in Hong Kong and China. Most of the extra flights were to destinations across Northeast and Southeast Asia. The most popular destinations were the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, the South Korean capital of Seoul and the Japanese city of Sapporo.

Last year, Hong Kong International Airport handled a total of 333,758 aircraft movements with a daily average of 914 movements. The figures represented an increase of 8.9 percent compared with the same period in 2010.