Changi Airport Singapore handled 145,600 tonnes of cargo last month, 1.8 percent lower than in April a year ago.
In the first four months of this year, cargo shipments at the airport decreased 2.1 percent to 579,600 tonnes from the same period last year.
“After three years of double-digit increases from 2010 to 2012, traffic growth at Changi Airport has eased in recent months, and continued downside risks are expected,” Changi Airport Group said in a written statement.
CAG added: “The near-term outlook for aviation remains cloudy with external threats such as high fuel prices, depressing cargo volumes and weak economic prospects for the global economy.”
Meanwhile, SIA Cargo, the cargo unit of Singapore Airlines, will put in limbo for nearly a year a second Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft in response to a glut in the air cargo market.
The freighter will be parked at Victorville, California, from June 2013 to May 2014, leaving SIA Cargo with 11 B747-400s. The company cited an industry-wide overcapacity, high fuel costs, and continued weakness in the air cargo market for its decision.
SIA Cargo said it also placed in temporary storage a freighter aircraft in December 2012.
Photo: Kentaro IEMOTO@Tokyo
