Asian carriers post solid traffic & load factor increases in 2012 but cargo remains a headache: AAPA

Asian carriers continue to record healthy passenger growth as demand in the region increases rapidly enough to keep up with the additional capacity. But the cargo market, which Asian full-service airline groups rely on more than carriers from other regions, remains weak, impacting overall profitability. Asian low-cost carriers are in a better position relatively as they carry limited amounts of cargo and nearly all their capacity is allocated to the fast-expanding intra-Asia market.

Asian carriers of all types continue to benefit from rapid passenger growth in short-haul and medium-haul markets within Asia. The weaker economic conditions in Europe and North America impacted long-haul traffic in 2012 but overall there was still healthy growth.