Air cargo volumes in Thailand slumped by almost 50 per cent in January as the global financial crisis continued to hurt exports. Total outbound cargo in the final three months of 2008 fell to 107,249 tonnes, compared with 140,074 tonnes a year earlier, Dow Jones reported. “The January figures were worse than what we expected with outbound volume falling by almost 50 per cent from a year earlier,” said Kasem Jaliyawatwong, president of the Thai Airfreight Forwarders Association. Thailand’s air cargo business has been hurt by not just the global economic downturn but antigovernment protesters who shut down Bangkok’s two international airports late last year. Kasem said that while the airports had reopened, cargo volumes had yet to return to normal levels because international tourists and business travellers had cancelled, or postponed, planned visits to Thailand.