Shippers and freight forwarders still prefer Chek Lap Kok airport to mainland airports despite a reduction in Hong Kong flights, according to Hong Kong Shippers Council executive director Sunny Ho Lap-kee.
Mr Ho said rival airports in the Pearl River Delta were 'not an option' at the moment as Chek Lap Kok could still handle the cargo flow.
'Airlines are cutting frequencies but there are still regular services to different destinations,' he said. 'Despite having less choice, shippers and freight forwarders can still send out their goods. And it's not yet the peak season.'
The area most affected by capacity cuts was Southeast Asia, Mr Ho said. But he added that freight volumes to the region were relatively small.
There has been a reduction in belly freight capacity - carried in the holds of passenger planes - as airlines cut services in response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak.
Cathay Pacific Airways cut almost 45 per cent of its passenger flights this month, although its cargo operation remains untouched. Dragonair slashed half of its capacity after experiencing a slump in demand.
A spokeswoman for the Hongkong Association of Freight Forwarding and Logistics (Haffa) estimated cargo capacity was down by about 15 per cent. But she referred to mainland airports as a last resort as they were less efficient and flexible than Hong Kong.
