HONG KONG – Air cargo is expected to perform well in the coming year, according to Etihad Cargo and Swiss WorldCargo at the seventh WCA Worldwide Conference.

“We’re optimistic about this year,” said David Kerr, vice president of Etihad Cargo. “The lower oil price obviously affects the economics of our operations and some markets perform better than others, but we think yields will be quite good.”

Etihad Cargo flew a total of almost 570,000 tonnes of freight and mail in 2014, which represented a 17 percent increase year-on-year.

Oliver Evans, chief cargo officer at Swiss WorldCargo and chairman of The International Air Cargo Association, also had a positive outlook.

“Even though volumes may be going down because many premium products are decreasing, the value is actually going up,” he said, referring to smaller and thinner consumer electronics as an example. “That means better yields.”

Evans also said that the transatlantic and European markets are still going to be a challenge, but that India would see strong demand for freighter aircraft as its manufacturing industry takes off.

Kerr shared the same optimism towards India. “India is a great example of a market where air cargo can really provide solutions for the e-commerce industry,” he said.

Etihad, together with its equity partner Jet Airways, flies to a number of cities in India with both passenger and freighter aircraft.

– Jeffrey Lee