Dragonair's First-Half Passenger Numbers Climb 10%, Cargo 4.6%

Dragonair's passenger numbers registered a 10.2% increase in the first six months of 2006, up from 2,372,952 in the corresponding period last year to 2,614,508. Cargo posted a 4.6% rise year-on-year in the same period, from 179,931 tonnes to 188,180 tonnes.

“Overall demand for travel remains buoyant, as the half-year figures attest,” said Dragonair CEO Stanley Hui. “However, at the same time there has been a lot of pressure on yield, and also persistent pressure from very high oil price levels.”

The June passenger figures were 10.1% higher than in the same month last year, and were a slight 0.6% lower month-on-month.

“June was a month of two distinct halves,” explained Mr. Hui. “The first half was affected by school examinations in Hong Kong and Mainland, as well as the start of the World Cup. However, we saw a stronger second half, with individual and group traffic rising again, especially to secondary routes in the Mainland.”

Cargo, meanwhile, was 1.4% lower year-on-year, and 1.1% higher month-on-month.

“May and June are seasonally quieter months for cargo, and so we saw relatively soft demand overall, particularly in Asia,” Mr. Hui said. “The modest increase in CTK in June was largely in line with the increase in ATK. One freighter aircraft was taken out of service for heavy maintenance, and this was reflected in the small ATK increase.”

“As the first-half figures show, the overall cargo market is continuing to grow, which bodes well for the addition of our first converted B747-400 freighter, scheduled to enter service in November this year.”

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