LEONARD NEILL BRITISH AIRWAYS World Cargo will add a fourth B747-200 freighter to its network, encouraged by good results recorded in the first quarter of this year. But, says managing director Gareth Kirkwood, the airline is far from complacent as a result of this upswing. “Going forward the business is continuing to grow and the results of the first quarter are encouraging. However, the environment remains tough and pressures on price continue to challenge the business,” he says. The volume of cargo traffic across the airline’s international network increased by 17% to 1 217 Cargo Tonne Kilometres (CTKs) from 1 040 CTKs compared to 2003. During the same period last year disruptions to the schedule were caused by the war in Iraq and the SARS outbreak. While there is still unrest in the Middle East and fuel prices are on the increase, the Chinese market as well as developments in such areas as Chicago and Kuwait have encouraged the introduction of the fourth freighter, he says.
