BA CARGO REPORTS 9% RISE IN SALES

BA CARGO REPORTS 9% RISE IN SALES    British Airways World Cargo said revenue in the first six months of the year rose 8.6 percent to '292 million (about $467 million), crediting traffic increases on long-haul routes to Asia, improved efficiency at its new hub in London and additional wet-lease business.
   Scheduled cargo sales rose nearly 5 percent to '152 million in the second quarter, as traffic increased 6 percent to 235,000 metric tons. For the first six months, total freight, mail and courier traffic was nearly 10 percent higher at 467,000 metric tons.
   “The strong performance of our new Heathrow cargo center for intact freight has clearly boosted volume,” said Gareth Kirkwood, managing director of British Airways World Cargo. “Our challenge in the second half of the year is to successfully migrate loose freight into the new building and start delivering the same high quality of service for this higher-yield part of our business.”