Japanese Airline Cargo Nosedives in March

Japan's two largest airlines saw their international cargo volumes nosedive in March amid the deep global economic downturn, according to their monthly reports.

But the reports show some signs of recovery in the two airlines' international cargo business as they both saw the rate of decline shrink to its lowest level in four months.

Japan Airlines, Asia's biggest air carrier, said that its international cargo volume declined for the eighth consecutive month in March on a year-on-year basis, plunging 38.1 percent to 40,528 tons. But the pace of decline was slightly slower than 38.9 percent in February and the slowest in four months.

During the whole of fiscal 2008, which ended on March 31, JAL transported a total of 627,213 tons of cargo on international routes, down 17.8 percent from fiscal 2007. The fiscal 2008 drop followed a 1 percent decline in fiscal 2007.

In stark contrast to its slumping international cargo business, JAL saw the volume of its domestic cargo rise 1.3 percent in March from a year earlier to 39,273 tons. The airline posted a drop in its monthly domestic cargo volume only once in fiscal 2008. In February, the figure fell 0.8 percent.

During the whole of fiscal 2008, JAL transported a total of 500,779 tons of cargo on domestic routes, up 11.2 percent from fiscal 2007. The fiscal 2008 rise followed a 1.7 percent decline in fiscal 2007.

Meanwhile, Japan's second-largest air carrier All Nippon Airways said that its international cargo volume declined for the fifth successive month in March on a year-on-year basis.

ANA transported 25,133 tons of cargo on international routes in March, down 19.4 percent. The pace of decline was slower than 26.1 percent in February and the slowest in four months.

During the whole of fiscal 2008, ANA transported a total of 326,582 tons of international cargo, down 1.2 percent from fiscal 2007. The fiscal 2008 drop followed a 19.6 percent rise in fiscal 2007.

ANA's domestic cargo volume increased for the first time in three months in March on a year-on-year basis, rising 2.9 percent to 40,981 tons. During the whole of fiscal 2008, the airline transported a total of 463,686 tons of cargo on domestic routes, up 2.4 percent from fiscal 2007. The fiscal 2008 increase followed a 1.2 percent rise in fiscal 2007.

Contact Hisane Masaki at yiu45535@nifty.com.