IATA releases list of top 25 cargo airlines in 2017

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its list of the world’s top 25 cargo airlines in 2017, as measured by cargo traffic.

FedEx has held its place at the top of the list. The company’s cargo volume—measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK)—achieved 7.2% growth year-on-year, from 15,712 million in 2016 to 16,851 million in 2017, after losing volume in previous years.

Its growth is attributed partly to its acquisition of TNT Express halfway through 2016.

Emirates made it to second place, with UPS in third, Qatar Airways in fourth, and Cathay Pacific Airways in fifth.

Despite its strong position, Emirates experienced one of the lowest growth rates of the top 25 at only 3.6%. However, Lufthansa was the only operator to suffer a decline in air cargo volume, at 0.9%.

Qatar Airways saw year-on-year growth of 19.3%, while United Airlines and Turkish Airlines gained 20.2% and 29.9% respectively.

UPS enjoyed 6% year-on-year growth, from 11,264 million in 2016 to 11,940 million FTK.

(Source: Air Cargo News)