Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. (PACTL) announced that the total air cargo tonnage throughput of its two cargo terminals, PACTL and PACTL West, amounted to 800,000 tonnes from January to November 2009 and forecast to reach 900,000 tonnes by the end of this year, down 12.6 per cent comparedwith the same period last year.

PACTL said overall cargo volumes started recovering since July this year and the terminal company picked up additional volumes through the appointment as ground handling company in September by Dragonair, Cathay Pacific and Air Hong Kong.

On the recovering air cargo market, PACTL said the need for increased capacity is demonstrated by the abundance of charter operations, which it said reached its peak of 119 wide-body charter freighters in November. For the year so far, 290 charters were handled in PACTL and PACTL West, contributing 26,000 tonnes to its cargo throughput. PACTL added that it expected the wave of charter flights to continue untilChristmas.