Top ten cargo airlines unveiled amid gloomy economy

Singapore - Ten cargo airlines were honoured as the "Top 10 airlines by Cargo Carriage" by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) at the third consecutive Changi Airline Awards recently.

The "Top 10 Airlines by Cargo Carriage" award was presented to FedEx, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Emirates, EVA Airways, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Qantas Airways, Singapore Airlines Cargo and first-time winner Asiana Airlines.

FedEx is the only express carrier awarded in this category. MD of FedEx Express Singapore and Indonesia Ramesh K Singam said it attributed its success to the "close relationship with CAAS and the commitment of our employees in delivering outstanding customer service".

The winners were chosen through the airlines' total traffic (passenger/cargo) through Changi and percentage growth rate of total traffic (passenger/cargo) in 2007 when compared to the preceding year.

However the event was set against the dampened aviation industry with surging fuel prices and slow traffic growth. To counter the issue, Guest-of-Honour Minister Raymond Lim urged airlines to take advantage of the new traffic development opportunities emerging in Singapore. This can be achieved by growing their traffic at Changi, developing new services and choosing Singapore as the hub of choice for operations amid the dampened economy.

As of 12 June 2008, 78 airlines are operational over 4,400 weekly scheduled flights at Changi Airport, connecting Singapore to 187 cities in 59 countries. Airfreight tonnage was 784,726 with a year-over-year growth of 4.2% over the first five months of 2008 when compared to last year.