Chinese airfreight figures fall

AIR transport of goods by Chinese carriers has dipped by 4.2 per cent this May due to quiet overseas routes.

Cargo volume dropped to 447,400 metric tonnes in the month, including a 16 per cent fall on international routes to 138,700 tonnes, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster continued to impact trade between China and Japan with cargo volume on the route dropping 17.3 per cent in May from a year earlier. Meanwhile, cargo volume between China and South Korea slumped 44.3 per cent.

China Eastern Airlines’ May volumes slid 12.68 per cent from a year earlier, but Air China sent 98,490 tonnes of cargo, edging up 1.3 per cent.

Cathay Pacific and its affiliate recorded the worst figures with a 12.9 per cent decrease compared to one year ago, while the cargo and mail load factor was down 10.9 per cent to 68.2.

Share this story