Perhaps it was the Lunar New Year, which fell in mid-February this year. Cathay Pacific and its sister airline, Dragonair, carried 130,467 tonnes of cargo last month, a year-on-year increase of 28.8 percent, though shy of the 147,275 tonnes carried in January, the carrier said .
“February’s figures were spurred by a surge in exports prior to mainland factories shutting down for the Chinese New Year Holidays,” said Mark Sutch, general manager of cargo sales. “Demand fell away over the holiday period, as expected, but saw quite a rapid pick-up, particularly on the North American lanes.”
The Lunar New Year holiday, which fell in January in 2014, distorts the basis for comparison, but in the first two months of this year, revenue tonne kilometers (RTK) was up 24.5 percent and tonnage was up 19.6 percent, with a 16 percent increase in capacity.
Sutch said that the overall improvement in the world’s air cargo markets, compared to early 2014, and the extra capacity added by Cathay Pacific in response to the increase in demand are also contributing factors to its success.
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