Delta Cargo ends the year on a high as traffic and revenues improve

Delta Cargo’s year ended on a high despite interruptions to operations caused by poor weather conditions and a power outage at its Atlanta hub.
The US airline saw overall cargo traffic for 2017  increase by 8.6% year on year – roughly in line with overall market growth – to reach 2.1bn cargo ton miles (CTM). Fourth quarter traffic was up 7.1% to 542m CTM.
The increase in traffic for 2017 reverses two years of traffic declines, but total CTM still remains behind the level registered in 2014.
The traffic increases and improving yields the fourth quarter helped boost overall cargo revenues for the year by 9.1% compared with a year earlier to $729m.
Fourth quarter revenues were up 14.4% year on year to $200m – the first time since the second quarter of 2015 that quarterly cargo revenues have breached the $200m mark.
An improvement in the fourth quarter helped boost yield per ton mile for the year, which stood at 33.89cents compared with 33.79cents in 2016.
The improvement in cargo figures in the fourth quarter came despite the challenge of storm Benji and the power outage.
During the year, the carrier has also been busy adding to its pharma capabilities and has opened a new cargo control centre.
It has also been expanding its joint venture partnerships.