news
Cathay: record year
HONG KONG SISTER flag-carriers Cathay Pacific and Dragonair achieved record results for last year, with turnover up by 33.7 percent year-on- year to reach HK$89.5 billion (US$11.5 billion) and profit attributable to shareholders up by nearly 200 percent to HK$14 billion (US$1.8 billion). Freight-related revenue rose in 2010
by 50.1 percent to HK$25.9 billion (US$3.3 billion), while volumes grew by 18.1 percent to 1.8 million tonnes. Despite a rise in capacity of 15.2
Incheon plans for the future
SOUTH KOREA’SIncheon International airport saw its cargo throughput increase by 16.1 percent year-on-year during 2010 – and further growth is expected this year. According to Hoon Lim, manager,
cargo marketing: “The main reason is the good economic situation in Korea. But also the strong network of Korean carriers – like Korean Air and Asiana Airlines – helps to boost traffic.” Hoon said express freight has an
important place in the gateway’s future. “It has a high growth rate compared to normal cargo,” he said, and he believes e-commerce will sustain this trend. Sensitive freight such as perishables
is also high on the priority list. “We are planning a new, 33,000m2
‘special cargo
handling facility’, with a thermostat- controlled room for semiconductors or sensitive cargo, and a frozen room and cool room for fishery and livestock products,” Hoon noted. Other plans include the
establishment of a joint venture company with China’s Hainan Airport Group this year, which will support marketing and airport operations for subsidiary gateways within the Chinese airport grouping. Hoon also sees potential stumbling
blocks for Incheon and the main challenge “will be the rise of the Chinese carriers. Jade, Great Wall Airlines, China Cargo Airlines and Cathay Pacific are all rapidly expanding their networks based at Chinese hubs”.
Arik Air inaugurates freight services
NIGERIAN CARRIER Arik Air has begun cargo operations out of its main hubs in Lagos and Abuja after the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority added freight to its air operator’s certificate (AOC). Arik is already flying cargo on its services to London Heathrow and New York
JFK and is all set to add freight operations to its Johannesburg service –where it flies an A330-200 with “a large cargo compartment”, Arik said. Kevin Steele, Arik Air senior vice president commercial, observed: “The
inauguration of cargo operations is in response to calls by our guests who have been clamouring for this specialised service. “Our West Coast traders will have their cargo shipping needs met with our flights in and out of Accra, Cotonou, Freetown, Dakar, Banjul and Monrovia.”
8 AIR LOGISTICSCHINA
percent on 2009, the cargo load factor improved by 4.9 points to 75.7 percent. In other news
from the carriers, Cathay’s joint venture with Air China has been approved by the relevant Chinese authorities, and Air China Cargo will act as the platform for the new entity’s operations. Cathay is selling four B747-400BCFs to the venture. Route expansion is growing the
potential” of Yangtze River Delta region
Tyler: “enormous
connections offered by the airlines. Abu Dhabi will be served by Cathay aircraft from June and Chicago will be added to the network in September. Cathay continues to order new
aircraft – including 15 more A330-300s scheduled for delivery from 2013, as well as 10 B777-300ERs. A deal with International Lease Finance Corp will see the carrier receive two more A350- 900s before 2015 is out. Former Cathay CEO Tony Tyler,
who became director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association on 1 April, said the joint venture with Air China would “tap into the existing strength – and enormous potential – of the Yangtze River Delta region”.
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