The traffic data published in the ACI Passenger nd Freight Flash Reports show a steady increase in passenger traffic of +5.1% for Asia Pacific Airports.
HONG KONG – The September 2012 traffic data recently published in the ACI Passenger and Freight Flash Reports showed a continuous and steady growth in the Asia-Pacific region. Asia-Pacific airports recorded a steady +5.1% increase in passenger traffic compared to September 2011 while Middle Eastern airports continued the strong growth and recorded +10.1% increase year-on-year. Year-to-date passenger traffic for the period of January to September 2012 showed an increase of 7.7% and 11.9% respectively for Asia-Pacific and Middle East areas.
Hub airports like Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bangkok and Seoul all recorded double-digit year-on-year growth in September 2012, with growth of +14.5%, +12.8%, +12.3% and +11.2% respectively.
Beijing continued to be the busiest airport in the region with almost 7.1 million passengers. The other 4 airports with the highest passenger throughput in the region are Tokyo Haneda which handled 6.4 million passengers; Jakarta and Dubai, both recorded about 4.8 million passengers and Hong Kong with over 4.4 million passengers.
In terms of air cargo traffic, Asia-Pacific airports recorded a strong rebound in September with an increase of +5.3% year-on-year while Middle Eastern airports recorded +6.0% increase. Overall cargo traffic in the first nine months of the year showed a slight increase of +0.5% in the Asia-Pacific area and +3.4% in the Middle-East area.
Hong Kong, once again, was the airport in the region with the highest cargo throughput, processing over 347,000 tonnes of cargo in September 2012. Taking second place is Shanghai Pudong with 256,000 tonnes. Seoul Incheon with 206,000 tonnes, Dubai and Beijing with almost 193,000 and 177,000 tonnes respectively are the other 3 busiest cargo airports in the region.
Commenting on the September traffic record, ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Director Mrs. Patti Chau said : “The traffic growth of +5.1% in Asia-Pacific is in line with the forecast in the recently published ACI Global Forecast for 2012 – 2031 where ACI forecast that passenger traffic will grow by 4.1% per annum over the next 20 years. Also, Asia-Pacific, led by China and India, is expected to be the fastest growing region and will surpass Europe to be the largest aviation market by end of 2012. The potential for domestic traffic is very high in Asia-Pacific, since several economies in the region are emerging economic powerhouses with vast territories and relatively limited alternative forms of transport.”
Mrs. Chau added “As for cargo traffic, the Asia-Pacific region, already the largest freight market in the world, is forecast to grow the fastest, averaging 5.8% per annum, due to strong manufacturing in China and India.”
Note :
1. ASP = Asia-Pacific Area; ME = Middle East Area
2. ACI PaxFlash and FreightFlash statistics are based on a significant sample of airports that provide regular monthly reports to ACI. They represent approximately 60% of total passenger traffic and 70% of total freight traffic worldwide. Commentary, tables and charts are based on preliminary data submitted by participating airports and are therefore subject to change.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
