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Asia-Pacific international passengers flown increased 8.5% in March
April 29th 2026
Asia-Pacific carriers flew 33.9 million customers on their international networks last month, up from 31.3 million air travellers in March last year. Read More » For the first three months of 2026, the region’s airlines carried 6.2% more passengers year-on-year, at 102.1 million, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said. Despite the robust start to the year, AAPA director-general, Wong Hong, said the Israel and U.S.-led war against Iran had led to disrupted supply chains, rising fuel costs and shifting travel demands due to airspace closures in the Gulf region. "The impact of the Middle East conflict has begun to weigh on what had been an encouraging start to the year," Wong said. "The duration of the Middle East conflict is going to add uncertainty to the global economic outlook and air travel demand. Against this backdrop, Asia Pacific airlines continue to maintain vigilance over cost controls while maintaining international connectivity." The airline lobby group said Asia-Pacific airlines’ international passenger load factor rose by 7.4 percentage points to a record high of 87.6% in March, with the 11.3% growth in demand, or revenue passenger kilometres, outpacing the 1.9% lift in seat capacity.
