Air Transport

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), which represents 17 of Asia's major carriers, has warned that it is uncertain whether the recovery in the aviation industry is sustainable.

It is "unsure whether signs of a fragile recovery in passenger and cargo volumes will prove to be sustainable," says the AAPA.

"Over the past 12 months, AAPA carriers have been severely impacted by the global economic downturn, declining trade volumes and diminished consumer confidence," it adds.

Airlines have responded by slashing capacity, and there are "some tentative signs of a recovery in traffic volume but yields have been severely depressed" due to airlines discounting fares in an effort to stimulate demand", says the AAPA.

International passenger and cargo traffic figures for AAPA member carriers shows some increase on a month-by-month basis, but demand year-on-year is down.

Total passenger numbers for October fell 3% year-on-year to 11.1 million, and cargo traffic was down 2.4% year-on-year, it says. For the first 10 months of 2009, AAPA international passenger numbers are down 8.2% year-on-year and cargo is down 16.5%, it adds.