Swissport International has been appointed by Qantas Freight to provide cargo ground handling services at London Heathrow Airport. Operations started in mid-September. The new business is the third major win by Swissport Cargo Services UK within the last two months, following South African Airways and Finnair, the ground handler said. With the global airfreight business still far from fully recovered, new cargo handling agreements are more vital and valuable than ever and Swissport London … [Read more...] about Swissport handling Qantas at Heathrow
Ground Handling & Cargo Terminals
Hactl reports stabilising volumes
Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) announced that its tonnage throughput for the first nine months of the year was 1,624,116 tonnes, representing a cumulative year-on-year drop of 16.3 per cent. September tonnage further stabilised with a total of 212,391 tonnes handled, registering a milder drop of 4.3 per cent year-on-year, said Hactl in a statement. Tonnage performance in the third quarter also showed clear improvement compared with last quarter, with a total of 620,358 tonnes … [Read more...] about Hactl reports stabilising volumes
SATS records 26% growth in profit
Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS) has reported a S$40.9 million (US$20 million) profit for the three months to 30 September, up 26.2 per cent year on year, the second quarterly growth following four consecutive periods of declines. Turnover at the airport ground-handling and catering company grew 45.4 per cent to S$362.3 million, despite a 10 per cent drop in aviation revenue. A key factor in the firm's robust results was the contribution from Singapore Food Industries (SFI), a food … [Read more...] about SATS records 26% growth in profit
Airline exec confidence returns
Airline executives expect improved results and a rebound in cargo volumes in the coming year, a "turning point" for a sector closely linked to economic trends, a survey released on Monday showed. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said confidence had grown markedly among major carriers in Asia, Europe and the Americas. "This does look like a turning point," IATA said of the quarterly business confidence poll. … [Read more...] about Airline exec confidence returns
China posts 8.9 per cent Q3 GDP growth

China posted GDP growth of 8.9 per cent in the third quarter of the year, up from 7.9 per cent growth in the second quarter, Bloomberg reported. The growth rate, the fastest in a year, reflected heavy government stimulus spending and high lending growth. Helped by massive stimulus spending on infrastructure, urban fixed-asset investment rose 33.3 per cent in the third quarter. Industrial production rose 13.9 per cent year-on-year in September, the highest rate of growth in more than 12 … [Read more...] about China posts 8.9 per cent Q3 GDP growth
China-ASEAN Free Trade Area on track
The Chinese Vice Premier has reaffirmed his country's commitment to going beyond the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) which is set to come into effect on January 1, 2010 in developing comprehensive economic cooperation in the Asian region. This agreement will provide a zero-tariff policy on 90 per cent of the products traded between China and ASEAN countries including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Once CAFTA takes … [Read more...] about China-ASEAN Free Trade Area on track
