Although demand for passenger services to many parts of Asia has plummeted as a result of the SARS outbreak, cargo demand has held up enough to prompt some carriers to look again at expanding their freighter fleets.
Hong Kong's Dragonair, one of the airlines worst affected by the SARS outbreak, plans to triple the size of its three-strong Boeing 747 freighter fleet over the next five years.
Chief executive Stanley Hui says that cargo remains "a bright spot for us", as global demand for the goods produced in the world's manufacturing base of the China mainland "continues to drive the engine of trade in these difficult times".
Fellow Hong Kong-based carrier Cathay Pacific Airways brought back into service a grounded 747-200 freighter in May "to compensate for any loss of cargo capacity resulting from the cancellation of passenger flights". In April it also launched regular freighter services to Singapore after slashing passenger operations.
At Hong Kong International Airport, where overall aircraft movements were down 49% in May and passenger numbers fell 80%, cargo volumes nevertheless increased 1.4%. Cargo aircraft movements were up 29%, however, as airlines put on more freighter capacity to compensate for the loss of bellyhold space.
It was the same story at nearby Macau International Airport in May. Despite a similar fall in passengers and a 60% fall in aircraft movements, overall cargo volumes were down only 4% as a result of the decline in bellyhold space. At the same time the amount of cargo carried on freighter aircraft increased 98%.
Source: Airline Business
