Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl), the major cargo handler at Hong Kong International Airport, announced a throughput of 643,912 tonnes for the first quarter of 2013, an increase of 1.6 percent from the same period a year ago.
Of the total, exports reached 318,004 tonnes, down 3.5 percent, but imports at 153,976 tonnes were higher in volume by 1.3 percent from the same quarter a year ago.
Transshipment volume also rose, registering at 171,932 tonnes, up 12.7 percent from the comparative period.
By month, January cargo volume totaled 228,140 tonnes. February saw the monthly traffic fall to 168,860 tonnes, followed by a rise to 246,912 tonnes in March.
Mark Whitehead, chief executive of Hactl, said: “February has always been a traditional slower month due to the extended Chinese New Year holiday. After adjusting for the seasonal factor, the overall first-quarter figures were satisfactory.”
Looking into the second quarter, he expected “it will be at best flat compared to 2012 as slow economic recovery persists.”
Photo: Sandip Battacharya
