ACI: April passenger traffic down in Asia-Pacific

ACI: April passenger traffic down in Asia-Pacific ACI: Passenger traffic in Asia-Pacific recorded a slight decline in April at -1 percent and moderate growth of +3.3 percent in the Middle East. In China, passenger traffic grew marginally in April despite solid international demands. A number of negative factors were at play: partial runway maintenance closures at Beijing (PEK) and significant flight cancellations at many airports in southern and eastern China due to adverse weather conditions. Mixed results were observed among major airports in the country: Beijing (PEK) -5.9 percent, Shanghai Pudong (PVG) -0.2 percent and Guangzhou (CAN) +0.2 percent. In India, passenger traffic continued to trend downward in April especially in the domestic sector. Overall passenger traffic was adversely affected by the service suspension of a major airline and the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX. These developments severely impacted the results in New Delhi (DEL) -15.3 percent and Mumbai (BOM) -19.9 percent. Nevertheless, other large airports still managed to report positive results: Bangalore (BLR) +3.6 percent and Hyderabad (HYD) +3.8 percent. Elsewhere in Asia-Pacific, a number of airports likely benefited from vacation travels during Easter and the extended Golden Week in Japan and enjoyed solid growth: Tokyo Narita (NRT) +3.1 percent, Osaka Kansai (KIX) +7.7 percent, Seoul Incheon (ICN) +5.5 percent and Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) +5.6 percent.