Hong Kong carrier, handler benefit from port issues

Both Cathay Pacific and Hactl turned in impressive November results, due in part to port congestion on the West Coast.    Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited handled 176,103 tons of cargo in November, a new record for the month.
   The cargo handler also broke daily records during the month — it handled 5,456 tons on November 23 — and weekly records, handling 29,031 tons of cargo between Nov. 10 and 16.
   Officials attribute this success to West Coast port congestion, new product launches and traditional peaks associated with the holidays.
   Hactl Chief Executive Mark Whitehead said 2014 has exceeded the company’s expectations.
   Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary Dragonair carried 12-percent more cargo and mail in November 2014 than a year earlier, ending the month at 165,102 tons. During the same period, capacity rose by 5.3 percent.
   During the first 11 months of the year, tonnage is up 11.9 percent, with capacity having experienced a rise of 10.7 percent.
   Mark Sutch, the carrier’s general manager of cargo sales and marketing, said transpacific traffic drove strong air cargo demand in November. He also pointed to port problems as a reason for increased air traffic.
   “Our business was helped by the bottlenecks in seaports on the West Coast of the USA, leading to more shipments being moved by air,” he stated. “Intra-Asian traffic remained robust in November, and it was a better month for our cargo business in Europe, helped by big shipments of the new-release Beaujolais out of France.”