Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair carried 15 percent more freight in June compared to the same month last year.
The two airlines carried 140,444 tonnes of cargo and mail in June.
The load factor rose by 3.2 percentage points to 64.9 percent. Capacity, measured in available cargo/mail tonne kilometers, increased by 10.2 percent, while cargo and mail revenue tonne kilometers (RTKs) flown were up by 16 percent.
For the year to the end of June, tonnage rose by 8.6 percent while capacity was up by 10.8 percent and RTKs increased by 12.1 percent.
“The upswing in cargo demand seen in May continued through into June, with a surge towards the end of the month as shippers rushed to meet month-end and quarter-end deadlines,” said Mark Sutch, Cathay Pacific general manager cargo sales and marketing. “Demand remained robust out of Hong Kong and Mainland China, particularly on the transpacific lanes. Shipments of perishable items continued to boost load factors out of North America back into Asia, while Europe benefited from higher-yield shipments of specialized products.”