Air cargo volumes carried by airlines in the Philippines for the first nine months of 2014 declined 43.4% to 128.465 million kilograms from 226.888 million kilograms in the same period last year, initial data released by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) showed.
The big drop was accounted for by incomplete data from flag carrier Philippine Airlines and its sister company, PAL Express (PALEx), which have so far reported cargo volumes only for the first quarter. Airlines and airfreight forwarders are given one month after the end of each quarter to provide CAB with statistics on cargo volumes handled, and are slapped a P1,000 fee for every month of late submission.
Budget carrier Cebu Pacific Air remained as the airline with the most air cargo handled, accounting for 69.2% or 88.864 million kilograms of total traffic, data showed. This is 18.96% lower than the 109.653 million kilograms handled in the same period in 2013.
Though lacking six months of cargo data, PALEx was the second top performer, contributing 9.4% or 12.083 million kilograms to the total. In the same period last year, PALEx was in third place with 36.059 million kilograms.
Low-cost carrier Air Asia Zest was the third top performer from January to September and accounted for 8.9% or 11.483 million kilograms, the figure being 32.3% lower than the 16.943 million kilograms carried in the same period last year.
PAL, on the other hand, was fourth with 8.888 million kilograms, or 6.9% of the total. PAL carried 59.527 million kilograms in the same period in 2013.
Cebu Pacific’s unit, Tiger Airways Philippines, accounted for 3.3% or 4.232 million kilograms, 27.12% higher than the 3.329 million kilograms recorded in 2013.
Meanwhile, Air Asia Philippines handled 2.514 million kilograms, or 2% of the total in the first three quarters of 2014, 126.2% up from the 1.111 million kilograms carried in the same period last year.
Island Transvoyager, the only airline with direct Manila-El Nido, Palawan and vice versa flights, accounted for 0.27% or 345,311 kilograms. This is a 106% improvement from last year’s 167,629 kilograms.
Leisure airline Magnum Airways contributed 0.04% or 55,390 kilograms to the total. However, CAB said data for Magnum Air only includes January-May volumes. For the first three quarters of 2013, Magnum Air handled 98,089 kilograms of air cargo. – Roumina Pablo
