Hong Kong cargo handler AAT posts 4pc October slip to 59,979 tonnes

HONG KONG airport's No 2 ground handler, Asia Airfreight Terminal (AAT), has announced a year-on-year four per cent drop in tonnage to 59,979 tonnes in October.

Export cargo came to 42,538 tonnes, a drop of two per cent against the same month last year. Import cargo volume for October was 17,016 tonnes, declining seven per cent year on year. Transshipments were down 17 per cent to 425 tonnes compared to corresponding period in 2011.

From January to October, cumulative exports came to 401,416 tonnes, up two per cent year on year. The import tonnage for the first 10 months registered 175,186 tonnes up two per cent. Cumulative transshipment cargo dropped 46 per cent to 5,064 tonnes compared to the same period last year.

Said AAT general manager Kenneth Yeung: "The continuous yet slow recovery in recent tonnage hints that there are still downside risks in the global economic environment. It is believed that Hong Kong's trade outlook remains challenging in the near future. Therefore, AAT has to stay vigilant."