Air cargo in Asia Pacific has remained robust in November with growth of 9.2 per cent in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) reports.

The association says solid expansion in new business orders, underpinned by strong demand from advanced economies helped support growth in air cargo volumes for the region’s airlines.

FTKs were up 9.2 per cent to 6.4 billion, with capacity in freight available tonne kilometres (FATK) increasing 4.7 per cent to 9.3 billion, and the freight load factor rose by 2.9 percentage points to 69.4 per cent.

Demand in FTK has risen by 10 per cent to 64.3 billion between January and November, with FATK up 4.3 per cent to 98.9 billion, and load factors rising 3.3 percentage points to 65 per cent.

AAPA director general, Andrew Herdman says: “2017 is expected to end on a positive note for both passenger and cargo traffic given current trends. With the global economy riding on positive business and consumer confidence levels amid continued expansion in order books, the demand outlook for Asian carriers remains positive.

In the meantime, the region’s airlines remain focused on effectively managing capacity in response to evolving patterns of market demand as well as improving operational efficiency.”