Association of Asia Pacific Airlines traffic data for June showed a softer passenger market across the region, with carriers carrying 30.5 million international passengers, down 1.1% from a year earlier. Revenue passenger kilometres still rose 1.1%, while available seat capacity increased just 0.3%, lifting the international load factor by 0.7 percentage points to 82.6%.
The figures point to a market where demand on longer-haul international services remained comparatively steady even as capacity growth lagged. AAPA linked the passenger decline to capacity reductions and higher fares in some regional markets after a spike in fuel prices. The combination left airlines with fuller aircraft but fewer passengers than a year ago.
Cargo provided a firmer backdrop in the wider Asia-Pacific aviation market. June air cargo data from IATA showed global demand up 8.5% year on year, with Asia-Pacific cargo demand rising 7.9% and regional capacity up 4.3%. That contrast underscores a mixed operating environment for carriers, with passenger volumes under pressure while freight demand remained resilient.