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Nina Varghese

According to Cafac in December 2002, Singapore Airlines had a market share of 18.47 per cent and carried 935.23 t of cargo as against 16.78 per cent market share and 711.99 t carried during the corresponding period in the previous year.

CHENNAI, Feb. 6

DIRECT access to a primary market such as the US seems to have given Singapore Airlines a clear advantage over other air cargo carriers in the Chennai market.

According to figures complied by the Cargo Facilitation Committee (Cafac) in December 2002, Singapore Airlines had a market share of 18.47 per cent and carried 935.23 tonnes of cargo as against 16.78 per cent market share and 711.99 tonnes carried during the corresponding period in the previous year. During May and June last year, the airline's market share had gone up to a little over 22 per cent.

The second half of 2002 also saw the European markets improve as the offtake of garments and leather, a mainstay from Chennai, went up. Lufthansa, which occupied the second place, had seen its market share declining during the last four months of 2002.

In December, the German airline had a market share of 13.69 per cent with 693.14 tonnes of cargo carried as against the market share of 14.79 per cent and 627.79 tonnes of cargo in the previous year.

In May and June, the airline's market share went up to around 15 per cent while the previous year's market share was around 13 per cent.

Air France stood at the third place with a market share of 10.15 per cent during December with 514 tonnes of cargo as against the market share of 9.23 per cent and 391.49 tonnes.

Alitalia had an 8.63 per cent market share during this period and carried 437.23 tonnes of cargo while in the previous year, the Italian carrier uplifted 333.13 tonnes.

The US carrier, Polar Air, which entered the Chennai market in September, had seen its market share rise up to a little over six per cent. Air India, with capacity only on its line flights, had witnessed its market share falling to 6.28 per cent in December from 9.75 a year earlier.

Indian Airlines, which flies to the Gulf countries, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, had seen its market share reducing to 6.26 per cent from 7.25 per cent. Other airlines such as Cargolux, British Airways, Sri Lankan, Emirates and Malaysian also fly in this sector.

Sources said that there was a decline in air cargo in last December compared to the middle of the year, because of the US Customs order that embargoed certain garment categories like T-shirts, which had to be shipped so that it would reach the US in January.

In December, the total cargo carried from Chennai airport was 5,063.82 tonnes while during the corresponding period in the previous year it was 4,243.76 tonnes.

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