Freight revenue was the lone bright spot for Hong Kong airlines last month despite wholesale reductions in scheduled capacity due to the Sars outbreak.
Cargo volume carried by Cathay Pacific Airways and Hong Kong Dragon Airlines continued to grow year on year even though both airlines have reduced passenger services by half since March, affecting belly cargo capacity.
Cathay sources said it recorded single-digit growth, while Dragonair has made a provisional estimate of double-digit growth.
'Export volume in April should be fine. The cargo volume was high last year so single-digit growth this year would be normal, even without the impact of Sars,' a Cathay executive said.
Cathay has made up for the loss of belly cargo capacity on passenger flights by arranging more freighter services. On May 1, it raised freight rates from Hong Kong to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bangkok and Australia by about 10 per cent to compensate for the additional cost.
This week it continued to fly wide-bodied passenger jets to Taiwan twice a day to keep cargo customers happy, though the island's mandatory 10-day quarantine for travellers meant passenger seats were virtually empty.
Dragonair cargo manager Alan Lai Kwok-lun said operations in second-tier mainland cities were most affected by the reduction in belly capacity on passenger flights.
