International passenger demand across the Asia-Pacific region climbed higher in April as the progressive relaxation of border restrictions stimulated business and leisure travel.
According to figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), the region’s carriers transported 4.8 million international passengers last month—an increase of 272.9% on April 2021. Demand rose to an average of 15.2% of the volumes posted in the equivalent pre-pandemic month of April 2019.
Measured by revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), international passenger demand increased by 302.7% year-on-year, reflecting the strength of longer-haul traffic.
Available seat capacity expanded by 77.5% compared with April 2021. This resulted in a 36.3 percentage point increase in the average international passenger load factor to 64.9% for the month—the highest level achieved since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.
“With vaccination rates high in the region, the general easing of border regulations has unleashed pent-up travel demand, as evidenced by the strong growth in international passenger numbers in April and healthy forward booking patterns,” AAPA Director-General Subhas Menon said.