Air China posted an 11% increase in passenger traffic in October, driven by strong growth in the domestic and regional markets.

Total RPKs were up 11% from a year ago. Domestic RPKs increased by 16%, international RPKs rose by 5% and regional RPKs went up by 14%.

Air China's regional figures refer to traffic from Hong Kong and Macau.

Total passenger numbers rose 14% to 3.7 million. Domestic numbers grew 16% to 3.1 million, international numbers rose by 4% to 484,000 and regional numbers increased by 25% to 116,900.

In terms of capacity, total ASKs rose 7%. Domestic ASKs were up 12% and regional ASKs rose 20%. International ASKs, however, fell by 2%.

The overall passenger load factor rose 3.3 percentage points to 82%. Domestic passenger load factor was up 2.7 percentage points to 82%, the international passenger load factor increased 4.9 percentage points to 82% and the regional passenger load factor was down 3.5 percentage points to 72%.

In terms of cargo, the airline posted a 14% increase in traffic. Domestic RFTKs were up 17%, international 12% and regional 68%.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news