Cathay, Dragonair cargo down 1.7% in April

Cathay, Dragonair cargo down 1.7% in April Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific and subsidiary Dragonair carried a combined 128,193 tons of freight in April, down 1.7 percent compared to the same month last year.
   The monthly cargo load factor was down by 4.8 points against last April at 64.9 percent. Capacity for the two carriers, measured in available cargo and mail ton kilometers, rose 3 percent.
   After the first four months of 2007, the airlines flew 500,752 tons of goods, a drop of 1.3 percent. Cargo load factor for the period fell 3.3 percentage points to 64.7 percent.
   “The cargo market was softer than anticipated in April and was slow picking up after the Easter holidays,” said Ron Mathison, Cathay Pacific’s director and general manager cargo. “North Asian exports, in particular, seem to be suffering as a result of strong local currencies and a general shift in manufacturing to China. Demand out of the Mainland remains strong and our new freighter service to Beijing is doing well.”