HONG KONG Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) handled a total of 231,757 tonnes of cargo in December, an increase of 4.2 per cent over the same month a year ago.

Tonnage handled in the fourth quarter amounted to 717,361 tonnes, up 6 per cent year on year.

Total volume handled for the whole of 2006 rose 5.3 per cent over 2005 to 2,561,902 tonnes, setting a new annual tonnage record for Hong Kong's top air cargo terminal operator.

Export volume showed a year-on-year growth of 4.5 per cent in December, with a total of 128,688 tonnes being handled, a Hactl statement said. Export tonnage for the fourth quarter was 411,893 tonnes, up 5.1 per cent year on year. Aggregate export tonnage for the whole year reached 1,440,181 tonnes, representing a year-on-year growth of 4.7 per cent.

A total of 64,953 tonnes of import cargo were handled in December, up 1.9 per cent, while 185,607 tonnes of import cargo were handled in the fourth quarter of the calendar year, representing an increase of 3 per cent year on year. Total import volume for the whole year was 696,178 tonnes, up 3.3 per cent over the previous year.

Transshipment volume for December was 38,116 tonnes, up 7.3 per cent against the same month in 2005. Cumulative transshipment tonnage for the fourth quarter was 119,861 tonnes, up 14.3 per cent. Total transshipment volume for 2006 was 425,543 tonnes, representing a growth of 11.3 per cent year on year.