Middle East airlines post robust growth in cargo volume

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Middle East airlines post robust growth in cargo volume

Middle Eastern carriers saw demand expand by 8.3 per cent and capacity rise by 11.6 per cent. - Supplied photo

Dubai - Globally, the air freight markets rose 0.5 per cent but most of the regions recorded decline in air cargo volumes measured by freight tonne kilometers.

By Abdul Basit

Published: Wed 2 Dec 2015, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Thu 3 Dec 2015, 8:47 AM

Middle Eastern airlines witnessed robust growth in cargo volume in October compared to a year ago, according to a report from the International Air Transport Association, or Iata, released on Wednesday.
Globally, the air freight markets rose 0.5 per cent but most of the regions recorded decline in air cargo volumes measured by freight tonne kilometers. Carriers in Middle East, Asia Pacific Europe reported rising trend but North American airlines, Latin American airlines and African carriers experience declines.
"Middle Eastern carriers saw demand expand by 8.3 per cent, and capacity rise 11.6 per cent," Iata said in the report. "Recent air cargo growth in the region continues to trend well below the rates seen for the first half of the year. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, among others in the region, have seen slowdowns in non-oil sectors, but growth rates remain robust enough to sustain solid demand for air cargo," it added.
"The outlook for air cargo continues to be very difficult. While there was some optimism from third quarter growth it has all but disappeared as the industry basically flat-lined. Cargo capacity has grown largely in lock-step with the continued robust demand for passenger travel," Tony Tyler, Iata's director general and chief executive said in a statement.
Freight load factors have sunk to the 44 per cent range - a level not seen since 2009, Tyler said, adding: "Early signs of improvement in export orders may bode well for trade and air cargo but this is unlikely to prevent air cargo finishing 2015 on a low note." European carriers have driven recent improvements in air cargo growth, but they ran out of steam in October with a rise of just 0.2 per cent.
- abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com