Thailand latest hit by drop in demand

THAI airfreight volumes fell nearly 50 per cent in January. Exports in the final quarter of 2008 fell to 107,249 tonnes compared with 140,074 tonnes in 2007.

“The January figures were worse than we expected with outbound volume falling by almost 50 percent from a year earlier,” said Kasem Jaliyawatwong, president of the Thai Airfreight Forwarders Association.

Declining exports due to the global economic slump were largely to blame but the antigovernment protests at Bangkok’s airports last year also hit the local airfreight industry hard.

Jaliyawatwong said that business has yet to return to normal levels until international companies feel reassure that there will not be any more disruptions.