Hactl July tonnage

HONG Kong Air Cargo Terminals announced its air cargo tonnage throughput for July 2008. A total of 219,049 tonnes were handled in the month, representing a slight decline of 0.6 per cent on a year-on-year basis. Cumulative tonnage from January to July 2008, was 1,497,440 tonnes, up 4.9 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Export volume in July registered a 2.1 per cent decrease on a year-on-year basis to 120,011 tonnes. Aggregate export volume for the first seven months was 814,073 tonnes, up 3.2 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Import volume for July and for the first seven months were 56,932 tonnes and 394,946 tonnes respectively, representing a 2.5 per cent decrease and a 2.3 per cent increase year-on-year for the respective periods.

The transhipment volume for July was 42,106 tonnes, up 6.6 per cent year-on-year. Cumulative transhipment volume for the first seven months was 288,421 tonnes, up 14.6 per cent year-on-year.

Lilian Chan, general manager, marketing and customer service, said: “The impact of the gradual moderation of the global economy is reflected in the import and export tonnages we handled in July, showing that the air cargo and aviation industry is facing more significant challenges. We anticipate that the market will become more difficult in the second half of the year. However, we will continue to upgrade our facilities and stay in close tough with our customers and business partners, offering the best service at all times.”