Asia-Pacific airlines stand out in air cargo biz

Despite a generally modest performance by the global air cargo market, airlines in the Asia-Pacific region have indicated the strongest growth in demand across all regions, attracting more investments from international carriers.

China's air cargo network has seen higher density, with 20 new international air cargo routes launched in July. The routes mainly transport cross-border e-commerce goods, high-end manufactured products, electronics and auto parts, said the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

Boeing has forecast that by 2043, China will need an additional 585 dedicated and converted freighters, nearly tripling from the current size, with demand stimulated by its booming e-commerce sector.

Globally, in June, total demand of the air cargo market, measured in cargo ton-kilometers, edged up 0.8 percent year-on-year. Total capacity, measured in available cargo ton-kilometers, rose 1.7 percent on a yearly basis, said the International Air Transport Association, which represents some 350 airlines comprising over 80 percent of global air traffic.

In particular, Asia-Pacific airlines saw 9 percent year-on-year demand growth for air cargo in June, the strongest rise of all regions. Capacity increased 7.8 percent year-on-year, said the IATA.

"There are very differing stories behind that number for the industry's major players. Trade tensions saw North American traffic fall by 8.3 percent and European growth was stagnant at 0.8 percent. But Asia-Pacific bucked the trend to report a 9 percent expansion," said Willie Walsh, the IATA's director-general.

"The June air cargo data made it very clear that stability and predictability are essential pillars for trade. Emerging clarity on US tariffs allows businesses greater confidence in planning," said Walsh.

He added that the deals being struck are resulting in significantly higher tariffs on goods imported into the US than just a few months ago. The economic damage of these cost barriers to trade remains to be seen. In the meantime, governments should redouble efforts to make trade facilitation simpler, faster, cheaper and more secure with digitalization.

In June, airfreight volumes transported between Asia and North America had declined for seven consecutive months, while the volume increased for major trade corridors such as between the Middle East and Asia, the IATA said.

The United Arab Emirates stands as China's largest trade partner in the Middle East. Last year, bilateral trade value between the two countries exceeded $100 billion for the first time, up 7.2 percent year-on-year, said the Ministry of Commerce.

Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, has been operating at Ezhou Huahu International Airport in Central China's Hubei province for two years, and has continued to strengthen cooperation with SF Airlines, China's largest air cargo carrier by fleet size and the aviation branch of the nation's leading logistics enterprise SF.

Two years ago, Etihad Airways became the first international carrier to launch commercial freighter services in the city, and it has continuously added frequencies of flights to cater to the growing demand.

"Ezhou's role as Asia's first dedicated freighter hub has allowed us to unlock new levels of efficiency and reach, particularly for time-sensitive e-commerce and high-tech shipments, supporting growing demand for cross-border e-commerce and high-tech shipments between China and the Middle East," said Stanislas Brun, chief cargo officer at Etihad Airways.

"The expansion to seven weekly freighter services strengthens our ability to offer reliable, time-sensitive logistics solutions across key global trade lanes," Brun said.

Luo Guowei, chairman of Hubei International Logistics Airport Co Ltd, said the two sides will further increase route frequency, enhance cooperation on overseas warehouses, and jointly build efficient logistics channels connecting China to the rest of the world. This will forge new milestones in establishing an aviation trade hub for the Belt and Road Initiative.