Against the backdrop of "declining business confidence levels and a sharp decline in international trade volume," Asia-Pacific airlines ’August air freight demand for freight ton-kilometres (FTKs) fell by 6.4% year-on-year.
The latest monthly report of the Asia-Pacific Aviation Association (AAPA) shows that in August "weak demand" and companies "keep cautious" on inventory, these two factors have led to "continuous weakness" in demand.

Coupled with the 1.1% increase in cargo capacity provided, the average international freight rate of Asian airlines fell by 4.7 percentage points in August to 58.3%.
Andrew, Director of the American Aviation Association (AAPA)? Commenting on the results, Andrew Herdman compared the region ’s continued increase in passenger demand for international air travel by 4.3% with the continued slowdown in air cargo.
"At the same time, air cargo demand fell by 5.9% in the first eight months of the year, and business confidence in August worsened further in the context of increasing global trade tensions," Hedman said.
"The consumer goods market continues to expand, but the demand for intermediate products has further declined, resulting in a decline in aviation shipments."