Hactl figures down but stable

HACTL’s (Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited) March traffic figures showed a decline of 21.1 per cent compared to last year. Total tonnage for the month was 186,636 tonnes while cumulative tonnage for the first quarter was 463,014 tonnes, down 24.7 per cent against 2008.

Export to China showed a considerable drop of 38.4 per cent in the first quarter, while USA and Europe recorded a decline of 29 per cent and 28.9 per cent respectively.

A total of 47,741 tonnes of import cargo were handled in March, showing a year-on-year drop of 19.3 per cent. Import from China, the US and Europe declined 24.7 per cent, 21.2 per cent and 24.8 per cent in the first quarter respectively.

Transshipment volume for March recorded a comparatively mild decrease of 6.7 per cent year-on-year to 42,366 tonnes. Total transshipment volume for the first quarter was 103,289 tonnes, down 14.2 per cent year-on-year.

“The March figures came as a minor relief, as compared to the sharp tonnage declines registered in the previous months,” said Lilian Chan, general manager of marketing and customer service. But market outlook remains grim for the rest of 2009 as the global trade market will need more time to recover.