Cargo throughput at Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminal (Hactl) fell 1.8 per cent to 765.4 million tonnes in the first six months of this year, compared with the same period last year, reflecting the severity of the economic downturn.
The figures, released by the freight-handling company yesterday, cover the period before the chaotic move to the new Chek Lap Kok airport. Nobody from Hactl could be contacted for further comment.
The biggest drop was in transshipment cargo, which fell 5.4 per cent to 92.77 million tonnes in the period January-June compared with 98.11 million tonnes in January-June last year.
Export cargo, which made up 43.6 per cent of throughout, fell 5 per cent to 333.86 million tonnes. Import freight grew 2.7 per cent to 338.76 million tonnes in the first six months, compared with 329.79 million tonnes in January-June last year.
Hactl said the figures were 6.2 per cent worse than its internal forecast, which estimated total throughput would grow to 813.76 million tonnes.
Exports were 6.8 per cent less than Hactl's original forecast, imports 5.6 per cent worse and transshipment freight 6.4 per cent less.
