International cargo hit record highs as AliExpress and Temu sales surged

Korean air cargo (NEWS1)

Korean airlines’ international cargo volumes hit record highs in the January-May period this year, driven by a surge in shipments from Chinese e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress and Temu.

Total cargo volume carried by 11 Korean airlines – Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan, Eastar Jet, T’way Air, Air Incheon — on international routes in five months amounted to 1,154,524 tons, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

This figure represents an increase of 17.2% compared to the same period last year and is the highest recorded since the ministry began compiling aviation statistics in 2009.

Korean Air carried about 660,000 tons, or 57.2 percent, of total international cargo volume during the period, followed by Asiana Airlines with about 308,000 tons, or 31.3 percent, and low-cost carriers such as Jeju Air with 51,000 tons, or 11.5 percent. .

According to a report citing the International Air Transport Association (IATA), global cargo measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), a measure of freight transport efficiency, increased by 11.1 percent in April compared to the previous year.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the annual growth rate of CTK was 14 percent, which was higher than the rates recorded in Europe of 12.7 percent, 10.6 percent in Africa and 7 percent in North America.

The report shows that the increase in cargo volume is due to the growth of the Chinese e-commerce market.

Global cargo is also increasingly shifting to air due to high ocean freight rates and longer shipping times caused by the Red Sea shipping crisis. The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group, have been carrying out attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea since last year.

“The growth in cargo volumes is expected to continue in the second half of the year due to increased demand for air transport of fresh goods such as fruits and semiconductors,” an aviation industry official told Yonhap news agency.

BY CHOI HAE-JIN ([email protected])