Hactl reports strong growth despite loss of Cathay

   Hactl, the largest cargo handler at Hong Kong International Airport, saw an 11.5-percent increase in activity during the first half of the year.
   The year-over-year growth during the first six months of 2014 includes a 13.6-percent increase in imports (243,287 tons) and an 8.8-percent increase in exports (489,624 tons).
   The results appear to show strong growth since the departure of one of Hactl’s largest customers, Cathay Pacific, which moved into its own dedicated cargo terminal in phases throughout 2013. In its latest results, Cathay Pacific said cargo and mail activity increased 17.5 percent in May to 797,393 ton kilometers. In the first five months of the year, activity is up for the carrier by 11.3 percent.   
   “When we parted company with Cathay Pacific in 2013, we expected a long uphill struggle to replace this significant element of our business,” Mark Whitehead, Hactl’s chief executive, said in a statement. “In reality, we have quickly made up a substantial proportion of the traffic through new account wins, and organic growth among our 100 airline clients.