Banner year for DHL after hub move to SAR

DHL Worldwide Express last year saw the strongest volume growth of the four main express carriers operating in Hong Kong.

While general air cargo at Chek Lap Kok airport fell 8 per cent year on year, express volume jumped 9 per cent, aided in part by DHL’s March move of its intra-Asia hub to the SAR from Manila.

Airport sources said DHL easily eclipsed the facility’s overall growth figure, but would not say by how much.

“DHL posted by far the strongest growth of any of the [companies] operating through Chek Lap Kok,” one source said.

DHL’s largest local rivals, Federal Express (FedEx) and United Parcel Service (UPS), were believed to have expanded less than the growth posted by the airport. Overall, express volume at the airport approached 80,000 tonnes.

DHL operations director Asia-Pacific and Middle East, Ross Allen, said: “We had a heavier final nine months last year after we moved our hub because we started hubbing our key intra-Asia cities’ traffic through Hong Kong.

“We gained market share in the Asia-Pacific anyway last year, but the biggest factor would have been the hub.”

A DHL official in Singapore said an independent market research study indicated it managed to claw away another 3 per cent of the Asia-Pacific market last year.

UPS senior vice-president for Greater China, Liu Kai-ming, said: “We saw growth in volume and revenue and, if you factor in the technology sector slowdown, and the events of September 11, I think our Hong Kong operation did a fantastic job.

“We didn’t meet our projections, made at the start of the year, because they were based on 2000 numbers, which was a banner year. It was an aggressive plan, but we re-forecast in the third quarter and reached the goal.”

TNT International Express also posted positive volume growth through Hong Kong last year.