KUALA LUMPUR (May 28): International passenger traffic growth among Asia-Pacific carriers moderated in April as geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic uncertainty weighed on travel demand and airline costs, according to preliminary data released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) on Thursday.

Asia-Pacific airlines carried 32.43 million international passengers in April, little changed from 32.37 million a year earlier, the industry grouping said. In revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, demand rose 3.3% year-on-year (y-o-y) to 119.13 billion from 115.36 billion, supported by relatively stronger traffic on longer-haul routes.

The performance marked a sharp slowdown from March, when international passenger traffic climbed 8.5% y-o-y to 33.89 million and RPK growth accelerated 11.3% y-o-y to 125.1 billion.

“The conflict in the Middle East continues to add volatility to energy markets, keeping jet fuel prices elevated and further intensifying cost pressures for airlines. In April, jet fuel prices rose to an average of US$165 per barrel, reaching levels last seen in 2022 following the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war,” said AAPA director general Wong Hong in a statement. AAPA member airlines account for over one-third of global passenger and air cargo traffic.

Available seat capacity rose by a marginal 1.4% in April from a year earlier, as airlines curbed expansion amid sharply higher fuel costs. International passenger load factors climbed 1.6 percentage points to 84.8%, reflecting tighter capacity management.

For the first four months of 2026, Asia-Pacific airlines carried a combined 135.03 million international passengers, up 5.1% from 128.48 million a year earlier.

International air cargo demand, measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), rose 4.1% y-o-y to 6.63 billion in April, from 6.37 billion a year earlier. Freight capacity increased 4.4%, leading to a 0.2 percentage-point decline in the average international freight load factor to 60.5% for the month.

AAPA said supply chain disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict, alongside rising goods prices, spurred stockpiling activity among businesses and consumers, supporting air cargo demand.

“The start of the second quarter saw accelerated expansion in global manufacturing activity, with increased purchases of consumer and intermediate goods driving demand for air shipments,” Wong said.

For the January-to-April period, international air cargo demand increased 5.3% y-o-y to 26.14 billion FTKs, compared with 24.82 billion a year earlier.

Despite some easing in geopolitical tensions, Wong said inflationary pressures and broader macroeconomic uncertainty continue to cloud the outlook for passenger and cargo markets in the months ahead.

“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.