Hong Kong’s largest air cargo terminal operator, Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd (Hactl), enjoyed a strong finish to 2016, beating 2015 tonnages by 1.7 percent and setting new terminal and ramp handling records.

 

 

The total tonnage for 2016 was 1,653,938, up 1.7 percent on 2015. Strongest performance was on transshipments, which were up 29.6 percent on 2015. Mail, courier and other express traffic meanwhile grew 8.4 percent, while exports grew 2.1 percent. From January to September, imports declined 8.3 percent, but the last quarter of 2016 showed growth.

 

Hactl broke its record for weekly cargo handling through SuperTerminal 1 in three consecutive weeks of November, culminating in a new best of 41,926 tonnes in the week of 28 November to 4 December.

 

There was no let-up in the growth of Hactl’s ramp handling business, which set three new all-time records for freighter handling in the final few weeks of 2016. On 23 November, Hactl handled 101 freighters in a single day; this broke its previous best of 98 freighters, set only 19 days earlier.

 

In the week of 28 November to 4 December, Hactl handled 628 freighters, surpassing its previous week’s record of 609 aircraft.

 

Freighters handled in the month of November 2016 totaled 2,579, beating the previous November’s record of 2,242 by over 15 percent.

 

“From a disappointing start, 2016 shaped up to be a very satisfactory year for Hactl and its airline customers. The best results showed in the second half, and are hopefully indicative of a more settled picture for global air cargo that will continue into 2017,” said Mark Whitehead, chief executive.

 

He added, “Particularly gratifying is the continuing growth of our ramp handling business. We ascribe this both to the attraction of Hactl’s unique ability to provide combined terminal and ramp handling in Hong Kong, and to our recent investment in streamlining through the use of mobile computing; this has enhanced productivity and service standards”.