Cathay Pacific looks back at improved cargo results in 2017
22 / 03 / 2018
Ronald Lam, director commercial and cargo at Cathay Pacific, has cast an eye back at a much-improved year for the airline’s freight business in 2017.
Earlier this month (March), Cathay Pacific announced that it had enjoyed “robust” cargo demand throughout 2017, with tonnage growth outpacing an increase in offered capacity.
The cargo capacity of Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon increased by 3.6% year on year, while freight volumes rose by 10.9%. The load factor was 67.8%, up by 3.4 percentage points on the previous 12-month period.
Lam said that the results of the airline’s cargo division in 2017 had been “outstanding”.
“The boom in e-commerce helped to iron out the traditional directional imbalances and there was an increase in specialised shipments, not least to feed growing demand for perishables in mainland China,” he reported.
“This contributed to 2017 being a record-breaking year for both Hong Kong International Airport and Cathay Pacific Cargo in terms of tonnage.
“Our home airport maintained its status as the world’s busiest cargo hub by handling in excess of 5 million tonnes of mail and cargo while we exceeded the 2 million tonnes mark for the first time,” he added.
Cathay Pacific appointed Ronald Lam to the newly created role of director commercial and cargo in August last year.
The role was created earlier in the year as part of a shake-up of the management organisation at the Hong Kong-based carrier.
Read more airline cargo news
