United and Delta show falling cargo revenues

© Robert Wisdom

Two sets of airline results are out – and both show dwindling cargo figures. Delta, which has recently changed its cargo management team and structure, saw cargo revenues fall 20% in the latest quarter, to $165m, while it fell 23% in the first half, to $327m. For the whole group, the airline reported adjusted pre-tax income for the second quarter of $1.7bn, a $42m increase year-on-year. Adjusted net income was $1.1bn.

Over at United, things were slightly better. Revenue in the quarter fell 9.2% to $208m, while in the first half revenues fell 14.6% to $402m. Cargo ton miles, however, rose 7.3% in the quarter and 0.5% in the first half, to 679m and 1.3bn respectively. Overall, the airline reported second-quarter net income of $588m, including special items, and pre-tax earnings of $931m.