International cargo hits record high as AliExpress, Temu sales surge

Korean Air cargo [NEWS1]

Korean airlines' international cargo volume reached a record high between January and May of this year driven by an increase in parcels from Chinese e-commerce platforms like AliExpress and Temu.

The total cargo volume transported by 11 Korean airlines — Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan, Eastar Jet, T’way Air, Air Incheon — on international routes during the five-month period amounted to 1,154,524 tons, Yonhap News Agency said Tuesday citing the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.

The figure marks a 17.2 percent increase from the same period of last year and is the highest recorded since the ministry began compiling aviation statistics in 2009.

Korean Air accounted for around 660,000 tons, or 57.2 percent of the 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.

Global cargo — in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), a measure of freight transport performance — increased by 11.1 percent on year in April, according to the report, citing the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The Asia-Pacific region saw an on-year CTK growth rate of 14 percent, higher than the figures of 12.7 percent recorded in Europe, 10.6 percent recorded in Africa and 7 percent recorded in North America.

The increase in cargo volume is reportedly due to growth in the Chinese e-commerce market, according to the report.

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

“The growth in cargo volume is expected to persist in the second half of the year, as the demand for transporting fresh goods like fruits and semiconductors through airfreight is rising,” an aviation industry official told Yonhap News Agency.

BY CHOI HAE-JIN [choi.haejin@joongang.co.kr]