Asia Pacific air cargo demand rises 6.4% in September as growth outpaces capacity

Preliminary September 2026 traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed that international passenger numbers edged up from a year earlier, following five consecutive months of year-on-year declines. Performance remained uneven across markets, with capacity reductions contributing to lower passenger traffic on some routes, while longer-haul markets continued to grow, supported in part by passengers choosing routings that avoided Middle East hubs.

For the month, Asia Pacific airlines carried a combined total of 30.4 million international passengers, a marginal 0.7% increase compared to a year earlier. Growth in passenger demand, as measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), accelerated to 5.9%, while available seat capacity expanded by 6.8%, resulting in a 0.6 percentage point decline in the average international passenger load factor to 80.2%.

Meanwhile, air cargo markets benefited from stronger global manufacturing activity, increased purchases of raw materials and components, and sustained demand for AI-related goods. International air cargo demand, as measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), grew by a firm 6.4% year-on-year, outpacing the 4.9% expansion in offered freight capacity. As a result, the average international freight load factor rose by 0.8 percentage points to 60.3% for the month.

Commenting on the results, Mr. Wong Hong, Director General of AAPA, said, “September saw passenger numbers increase slightly compared to a year earlier, with stronger growth in longer-haul travel, while air cargo demand gained momentum. Overall, during the first nine months of the year, Asia Pacific airlines carried 289.5 million international passengers, 1.9% more than in the same period last year. International air cargo demand rose by 5.6% over the same period.”

This story was originally published by Payload Asia. Read the full story at Payload Asia →