Passenger traffic in the Asia-Pacific region expanded by five percent in the first four months of the year to more than 130 million compared to a year ago, driven by sustained demand for longer-haul routes despite costlier plane tickets.

Based on preliminary data from the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA), the region’s airlines carried a total of 135.03 million passengers from January to April, up from 128.48 million passengers in the same period last year.

Total demand, as measured by revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), rose at a faster rate of 6.7 percent to 490.68 billion during the four-month period, indicating that passengers are flying longer distances on average.

Available seat capacity (ASK), which reflects the total number of seats available multiplied by the distance flown, improved by a modest 3.8 percent to 578.30 billion seat kilometers as airlines held back on expansion amid higher jet fuel prices.

AAPA Director General Wong Hong said the conflict in the Middle East has pushed jet fuel prices to an average of $165 per barrel, a level last seen by the aviation industry in 2022 following the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war.

He said elevated jet fuel prices are intensifying cost pressures for airlines, resulting in upward pressure on airfares that is making travel more costly.

That said, the average international passenger load factor by the end of April still went up by 2.3 percentage points (ppt) to 84.8 percent from 82.5 percent, indicating a higher share of booked seats relative to total capacity.

In April alone, which saw the brunt of steeper fuel expenses, the load factor improved by 1.6 ppt to 84.8 percent compared to 83.2 percent in the same month last year.

Asia-Pacific airlines flew an aggregate total of 32.43 million passengers in the month, with RPK growing by 3.3 percent to 119.13 billion.

“International passenger traffic continued to show resilience in April, supported by sustained demand on longer-haul routes,” said Hong.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Asia-Pacific airlines accounted for 33.5 percent, or the largest share, of global air traffic during the four-month period. This was followed by carriers based in Europe and North America, with 26.7 percent and 21.8 percent, respectively.

On the cargo side, AAPA data showed that international air freight demand rose 5.3 percent to 26.14 billion freight tonne kilometers (FTK) in the first four months of the year, up from 24.82 billion FTK in the same period last year, largely due to accelerated stockpiling activity.

AAPA attributed the stockpiling to supply chain disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict, which has prompted businesses to move quickly to lock in supplies before costs rise further.

Looking ahead, Hong said that growing macroeconomic uncertainty combined with inflationary pressures is expected to weigh on the outlook for both passenger and cargo demand in the months ahead.

“Nevertheless, Asia Pacific airlines remain vigilant in managing costs and carefully deploying capacity to optimise yields and profitability in this challenging operating environment, without compromising safety standards,” he said.

AAPA aggregates data from 36 airlines based in the Asia-Pacific region, representing more than one-third of global passenger traffic. In the Philippines, it covers data from Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia.