As the LATAM Airlines Group struggles with the poor economy in Brazil, the carrier reported a decrease of 26.8 percent in cargo revenue for the fourth quarter of 2015, due to a 13.4 percent decline in cargo traffic, and a 15. 4 percent decline in cargo yields, compared to Q4 2014. Additionally, a strike by customs personnel at São Paulo Guarulhos airport had a negative effect on connecting cargo traffic.
Pressures on cargo yields continued due to the depreciation of local currencies – mainly the Brazilian real – and the euro, and a lower fuel surcharge due to the drop in fuel prices. This resulted in cargo revenues per available tonne kilometers (ATK) declining 24.9 percent, year-over-year, in Q4 2015.
LATAM said it continues to adjust freighter capacity, while it focuses on maximizing the belly freight in its passenger fleet. Cargo capacity, measured in ATKs, declined 2.4 percent in the fourth quarter, which includes a 13.3 percent reduction in freighter operations.
For the entire year of 2015, cargo revenue was down 22.4 percent, from $1.7 million in 2014 to $1.3 million in 201