The Hong Kong Association of Freight Forwarding and Logistics (HAFFA) has welcomed the Terminal Charge concession and encourages more airlines to follow suit.

The concession will be introduced by Cathay Pacific on 1 April 2020, to which the Airport Authority Hong Kong will contribute 20% offered by an airline to freight forwarders for export cargo.

Cathay Pacific is the first airline to sign up, with the concession applying to export shipments on the group’s airlines, offering a saving of HK$0.3 per kilo.

Brian Wu, chairman of HAFFA says: “We welcome the new TC concession introduced by Cathay Pacific and we thank the Airport Authority for their support of this initiative. The concession will help provide some relief from the numerous challenges currently faced by the logistics industry, and to maintain Hong Kong competitiveness as a whole we hope to see all airlines follow this example.”

The association says Hong Kong was already facing significant hurdles, including the financial burden brought by the International Civil Aviation Organization 100% cargo screening policy.

Global economic instability and China-US trade negotiations have also contributed to declining air cargo volumes.

Welcoming the concession, Wu says: “ While the new TC concession will help to alleviate some of the pressures on the industry, in view of the Hong Kong Airport’s freight throughput continues to wane and cargo volumes remained weak, we would urge Cathay Pacific and Airport Authority – and we hope the other airlines who follow their example – to maintain the concession for a longer period in order to help mitigate the high financial costs of compliance with the new ICAO security regulations and proactively reinforce the competitiveness of Hong Kong being the world’s busiest cargo airport.”