SWISS WorldCargo has recorded a first-half cargo load factor (by volume) of 78.6 per cent, a decrease of 0.7 percentage points compared to the same period a year earlier. 

On the other hand, total cargo sales between January and June rose by 2.3 per cent in revenue-tonne-kilometre terms. 

In June the cargo load factor (by volume) dropped by 0.8 percentage points year on year to 77.8 per cent.

Total passenger numbers for June show a 2.8 per cent increase to 1,412,234.  

INTERNATIONAL air freight handled at Asia Pacific airports was down 1.1 per cent in May and fell 2.2 per cent in the first five months of the year, reported Airports Council International (ACI).

"We are witnessing slowing growth or declines at major air freight exporters across Asia-Pacific. With a strong recovery in the Eurozone doubtful in the short run, the sluggishness in the air freight market will persist," said ACI economics director Rafael Echevarne. 

Qatar Airways has launched a second weekly B777 freighter flight to Oslo.

The new flight complements existing cargo capacity of 15 tonnes on the airline’s daily passenger flight in addition to passenger baggage.

The Doha-based carrier has so far launched six destinations this year – Gassim (Saudi Arabia), Najaf (Iraq), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Chicago (USA), Salalah (Oman) and Basra (Iraq) – the latter started last month.

Singapore’s Singapore Airlines (SIA) continues to do it tough in air freight.

Its June data shows overall cargo traffic system wide (measured in freight-tonne-kilometres) was 6.3 per cent lower year-on-year, while cargo capacity decreased by 5.6 per cent. Consequently, cargo load factor decreased by 0.5 percentage point.

MOSCOW Domodedovo Airport has announced that air freight volumes in June 2013 rose by 2.5 per cent compared to the same month a year earlier to 16.7 thousand tons.

Freight traffic in the first half of the year was up 4.1 per cent compared to the same period last year at 92.900 tons.

   During the fourth quarter, Cathay Pacific Airways will launch twice-weekly Boeing 747-8 freighter service from Hong Kong to Guadalajara. 

   The flight, which will mark the carrier’s first Latin American destination, is still subject to government approval.

Three Hungarian businessmen backed by Middle Eastinvestors plan to launch a new Budapest-based full-service airline to plug a market gap left by the collapse of flag carrier Malev last year, reported Reuters.

Solyom (Falcon) Hungarian Airways expects to operate six planes by the end of September and grow its fleet to 25 aircraft by the end of 2014 and 50 by 2017, including 10 wide-body jets capable of long haul flights.

AIR France-KLM-Martinair Cargo has started offering an additional connection to Abu Dhabi, a new twice weekly Boeing 747 Freighter service that stops at the international airport in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates enroute to destinations in India andAsia.

At present the airline operates a daily Airbus A330 passenger service with belly capacity between Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Abu Dhabi. Through a codeshare arrangement with Etihad Airways it also offers a second daily passenger service to Abu Dhabi. 

Flag carrier Turkish Airlines has decided to convert an option to buy five Boeing B777-300ER airplanes into a firm order, reported Reuters.

The aircraft are slated for delivery in 2016 and 2017, the state-run airline said.

Turkish Airlines said in April it planned to buy a total 95 planes from US-based Boeing by 2021, including 25 options. 

China Airlines and Envirotainer have announced that they will together launch temperature-controlled airfreight services primarily for the health care industry.