CAAS honours top 10 airlines

Singapore - Nippon Cargo Airlines was honoured as one of the top 10 airlines by cargo carriage by CAAS, its first time winning the award among old favourites Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways.

The airline was mentioned at the CAAS fourth annual Changi Airline Awards, during which CAAS also bestowed top honours to 24 other airlines in the top 10 airlines by passenger carriage, top 10 airlines by cargo carriage, top five airlines by growth in passenger carriage and top five airlines by growth in cargo carriage categories.

Joining Nippon Cargo Airlines, SIA and Cathay in the top 10 airlines by cargo carriage category are Asiana airlines, China airlines, EVA airways, FedEx, Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Qantas.

The top five airlines by growth in cargo carriage were on the other hand dominated by new entries Air India Express, Birman Bangladesh Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air and Lion Air joining previous winner Jet Airways. CAAS believes the new entrants "demonstrate the competitive nature of the airline industry".

Minister Raymond Lim, minister for transport and second minister for foreign affairs urged airlines to band together to ride out the storm. According to him, airlines operating long-haul services can tap on Changi's regional connectivity to carry their passengers beyond Singapore to the rest of the region. Regional and low cost carriers will also be well-positioned to capitalise on such traffic growth opportunities to expand their traffic reach via Singapore to the other parts of the world.

"By continuing to optimise the partnerships at Changi, you will be able to make the most of the opportunities available for your business and improve its resilience against the current uncertainties in the global economy," the minister said.

As of 1 May, Changi is served by 84 scheduled airlines connecting Singapore to 193 cities in 60 countries via more than 4,570 weekly scheduled flights.