Cebu Pacific Air, the country’s largest low-cost carrier, remained the top handler of domestic air cargo, accounting for 41.7% or 55.21 million kilos of total traffic for the first semester of 2014, data from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) showed.
Total air cargo volume handled by domestic carriers in the first half of the year surged 30.95% to 132.541 million kilos from 101.208 million kilos recorded in the same period last year.
Cebu Pacific carried 9.5% more cargo during the period compared to the 50.439 million kilos it flew year-on-year.
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines remained in second place, contributing 24.6% or 32.668 million kilos of the total, followed by sister airline PAL Express with 23.8% or 31.517 million kilos.
Both airlines saw an increase in volume handled, with PAL’s tonnage improving 15.3% from last year’s 28.328 million kilos, while PAL Express’ air traffic rose 135.9% from just 13.355 million kilos in 2013.
Also maintaining its fourth-place position was Air Asia Zest with 8.016 million kilos or 6.05% of the total, a 2.7% decline from last year’s 8.236 million kilos.
But among all domestic carriers, budget airline Tiger Airways, formerly Southeast Asian Airlines, showed the most improvement, carrying 3.17 million kilos in the first half, or 662.5% higher than the 415,734 kilos it handled in the same period last year. Tigerair, which was acquired by Cebu Pacific early this year, accounted for 2.4% of the aggregate.
Another low-cost carrier, Air Asia, posted rosy results in the first semester with 1.673 million kilos, a whopping 395.3% increment from the 337,809 kilos it carried last year. Air Asia contributed 1.26% of the overall cargo volume.
Island Transvoyager, an airline that started operating late in 2013 with direct flights to and from Manila and Palawan, accounted for 0.17% of the total, or 231,628 kilos.
Leisure airline Magnum Air (Skyjet), Inc., came in last with 55,390 kilos, or 0.04% of the total, against 97,848 kilos carried in the first semester of 2013. CAB said Magnum’s figure for January-June 2014 has yet to include Magnum’s June cargo traffic. – Roumina Pablo
Image courtesy of hywards at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
