Singapore Airlines has recorded an impressive 11.4 percentage point rise in passenger load factor during March, signalling that the Asia Pacific region is rebounding strongly from the global financial crisis.
During the month, the carrier cut passenger capacity by 2.2 per cent, while passenger kilometres increased by 13.9 per cent, resulting in the surge in load factor to 80.8 per cent. Total passenger numbers increased by 9.5 per cent to 1.4 million. By region, the biggest increase in load factor was felt on European routes, which were up 14.8 points to 84 per cent, while the smallest increase was on the South West Pacific market, which only increased by 7.3 points to 80.7 per cent.
SIA Cargo also recorded strong growth, with volumes up 9.8 per cent. A 4.2 per cent reduction in capacity saw load factor rise by 9.9 points to 68.4 per cent. SIA said that the improvement in cargo load factor was attributable to “strategic management of freight capacity to match market demand, as well as the improving operating environment.”
