Cathay Cargo continued to see its airfreight volumes rise in August despite the challenge presented by the European Union’s (EU) new charge for e-commerce packages.
The Hong Kong-based carrier saw cargo carried in tonnage terms in August increase by 8.6% year on year to 151,904 tonnes, beating the year-to-date increase of 8.2%.
Meanwhile, demand in revenue freight tonne kms increased by the lower amount of 3.1%, suggesting that the airline has been carrying more cargo but over shorter distances than last year – perhaps a reflection of a greater focus on Southeast Asia.
The increase also comes despite the EU adding a €3 charge per package with a value of less than €150, which is estimated to have caused a 24% decline in e-commerce volumes heading from China to Europe in July compared with June.
Elsewhere, the carrier’s capacity in available freight tonne-km terms in August was up 1.4% and the cargo load factor improved by 0.9 percentage points to 57.4%.
Cathay chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said: “Cargo tonnage in August was supported by healthy demand across our key markets. Demand for Cathay Expert was driven by robust semiconductor shipments within Asia, while Cathay Pharma reported notable growth from Europe and the Chinese Mainland.
“Cargo tonnage in August was supported by healthy demand across our key markets. Demand for Cathay Expert was driven by robust semiconductor shipments within Asia, while Cathay Pharma reported notable growth from Europe and the Chinese Mainland. Our Cathay Priority solution also continued to perform well, reflecting shippers’ need to replenish inventory ahead of the traditional year-end air cargo peak.
“Our Cathay Priority solution also continued to perform well, reflecting shippers’ need to replenish inventory ahead of the traditional year-end air cargo peak.”
On outlook, she said: “Demand is expected to remain strong, supported in part by high-tech product launches and rising demand as we enter the traditional air cargo peak season.”
While tonnages at Cathay continued to climb in August, Hong Kong International Airport saw volumes decline 1.2% year on year in August to 428,000 tonnes. This compared with a year-to-date increase of 2.7%.
Volumes also declined in July following the implementation of the new EU charge.
“Exports declined by 8.8% year on year, partially offset by 18.2% growth in transshipments and 3.6% growth in imports. Among key trading regions, Southeast Asia and the Chinese Mainland remained resilient, helping to cushion softer traffic with Europe and the Middle East amid evolving regional trade dynamics,” the airport authority said.
