International Air Transport Association (IATA) has posted the top 10 list of international air cargo carriers in 2007, which shows that the world's air cargo hub is transferring eastward to Asia.
There are five Asian carriers on the list. Korean Air has been on the top for the fourth consecutive years. Thanks to the rise in cargo volume brought by merge with Dragonair, Cathay Pacific for the first time surpassed its long-time rival Singapore Airlines and became the third, while the latter fell to fourth place.
Emirates Skycargo jumped to eighth place in 2007 from the tenth in the preceding year.
Korean Air carried 9.5 billion tonne of freight per kilometre last year, an increase of 9.4 per cent over the preceding year.
Korean Air Cargo said it is exploring new markets, launching of services to Xiamen, Shanghai and Tianjin and starting a six-day delivery service to Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Korean Air's cargo terminal at the Incheon International Airport is the largest in the world, handling 1.35 million tonnes a year. Its second cargo terminal, which has an annual capacity of 260,000 tonnes became operational last year.
Because of its merger with Dragonair last year, Cathay Pacific's cargo volume last year increased 19 per cent to 8.2 billion tonnes per kilometre.
Singapore Airlines fell from of the top three to fourth place with a fractional increase of 0.57 per cent in its cargo volume to 7.9 billon tonnes per kilometre last year.
China Airlines' cargo volume went 3.3 per cent up to 6.3 billion tonnes per kilometre, making it the sixth largest cargo carrier for the second year in a row.
UPS became the fastest-growing cargo carrier with cargo volume surged 26 per cent to 5.1 billion tonnes per kilometre last year, jumping to tenth from fourteenth in the preceding year.
Another Taiwan carrier, EVA Air, fell from top 10 list. EVA Air's drop is related to Taiwan's new aviation policies, which narrowed opportunities for development.
Most European and US cargo carriers saw a growth of 5.5 per cent or less last year. Asia's thriving economies have boosted the export of hi-tech products, which makes the air industry in this region grow increasingly stronger.
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