Passenger jets to carry freight today
Passenger planes will be flying in cargo to Hong Kong from this morning as a crucial phase of the recovery programme begins.
The main freight handlers, Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (HACTL), announced last night that one pallet of general cargo would be accepted per incoming passenger aircraft. The consignments would be processed at Kai Tak.
HACTL was forced to stop handling cargo carried on passenger flights after computer problems crashed its systems on the first day of operation at Chek Lap Kok.
The company then reopened its terminal at the old airport and was able to deal with cargo flights though there remained huge delays and backlogs.
Under pressure from the Government and businesses affected by the cargo embargo, HACTL announced a four-part programme to resume operations gradually by the end of next month.
HACTL managing director Anthony Charter said yesterday it was still early days, but he expected to meet targets the firm had set itself.
'We anticipate that one pallet of general cargo on each passenger aircraft will mean an addition of approximately 300 tonnes of cargo per day,' Mr Charter said in a statement.
'Along with the perishable cargo from passenger aircraft which is already being handled successfully, we will then be handling over 30 per cent of projected daily imported tonnage from passenger aircraft.' Since the recovery plan was implemented last Sunday, HACTL had processed an average of 2,520 tonnes of cargo a day out of an expected 4,000 tonnes, the firm said. Anthony Lau Siu-wing, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Freight Forwarding Agents, said the situation was continuing to improve every day and he was hopeful the problems would be resolved once and for all by the end of September.
The monopoly over air cargo will not be terminated before the operator's 20-year franchise expires, it emerged yesterday. Tung Chee-hwa was quoted by the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance as saying the HACTL franchise would not be changed.
Mr Tung was reacting to the alliance's call for an end to the HACTL monopoly because of the cargo bans and delays.
