Intra-Asia travel out paces US
February 10, 2010 by TTRweekly Staff
Filed under News
International Air Transport Association said intra-Asia-Pacific travel, in 2009, exceeded North America as the world’s largest aviation market.
Asia-Pacific’s travellers reached 647 million compared with 638 million, who travelled within North America (including domestic markets). By 2013 an additional 217 million travellers are expected to take to the skies in Asia-Pacific.
“Achieving Asia-Pacific’s potential is contingent upon short-term efforts to battle the impacts of an economic downturn with cost reductions and efficiency gains. Longer-term Asia-Pacific must also face global challenges including environment, security and liberalisation,” said IATA director general and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani at the close of the Singapore Air Show Aviation Leadership Summit.
The global aviation industry is expected to reduce losses from US$11.0 billion in 2009 to US$5.6 billion this year. The loss reduction is being led by Asia-Pacific’s carriers who are expected to see their losses shrink from US$3.4 billion in 2009 to US$700 million.
Mr Bisignani noted that Asia-Pacific’s prospects improved faster than other regions because it was diverse, dynamic and with greater potential than other regions.
China’s population of 1.3 billion is served by only 0.3 seats per person and India’s 1.1 billion population has only 0.1 seats available per person. In the US, there are three aircraft seats per year for each of the 300 million people who live there.
“The global air transport industry will triple in size when Asians have the financial means to travel as much as those in the US,” said Bisignani.
