Mideast air freight up against global downtrend

Carriers in the civil aviation industry in the Middle East posted in February a freight volume growth of 3.7 percent, amid global air cargo downtrend, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Wednesday.

Beside the Middle East, only Latin America posted an increase (up 2.7 percent) in air cargo in February, while all other regions recorded a decline.

The report said Middle Eastern carriers were able to continue their consistent growth trend despite the statistical noise.

"Over the past six months, the major carriers in the region have cut their rate of route expansion, which may account for the relative slowdown in freight volume growth," it added.

The air freight business remains a difficult one and February's performance continues a weak trend, said Tony Tyler, IATA's Director General and chief executive officer.

"And there are few factors on the horizon that would see this change substantially. In the absence of an imminent resurgence of demand, the importance of improving the value proposition with modernized processes, the e-freight vision, remains a top priority," said Tyler.

Meanwhile, Middle Eastern carriers remain on the expansion trip, Earlier in the day, Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Dubai's Emirates Airline, said it launched a weekly freighter service to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, starting April 6.

"The new freighter service to Cambodia's capital is the carrier's 53rd destination in its worldwide freighter network and the 13th in the Far East," said Emirates SkyCargo in an e-mailed statement. Endit