Early indicators suggest air freight traffic in Asia is steadily increasing after year-over-year comparisons for the first two months of the year were skewed by an early Chinese New Year.
Asia Airfreight Terminal, a leading handler at Hong Kong International Airport, the world’s largest by tonnage, saw growth of 4 percent in March compared to a year earlier. Exports, which comprise the majority of AAT’s throughput, were up a sprightly 5 percent, helping drag cumulative export growth in the first quarter into the black at 0.1 percent compared to 1Q 2011.
“The tonnage in March 2012 saw slight improvements,” said Kenneth Yeung, general manager for corporate development. “Nevertheless, we are cautious of the challenges ahead.”
HKIA maintained its leading position in the Asia-Pacific region through February ahead of Shanghai Pudong and Seoul Incheon, according to the latest figures from Airports Council International. Tokyo Narita and Dubai took 4th and 5th places.
The Journal of Commerce Online