INTERNATIONAL CARGO and mail volume handled by air carriers servicing the Philippines grew over 70% by volume in 2021, mainly due to strong demand for goods needed to deal with the public health crisis, according to the Civil Aeronautics Board.
International cargo and mail traffic handled by air carriers in 2021, both outgoing and incoming, amounted to 372.7 million kilograms (kg), from 218.8 million kg in 2020.
Incoming cargo and mail flown in last year by air carriers was 191 million kg, up 70.5%.
Air carriers handled 181.9 million kg of outgoing cargo and mail in 2021, up 70.3%.
All Nippon Airways was the Philippines’ leading air carrier for international cargo and mail with total traffic of 31.1 million kg, followed by Qatar Airways (28 million kg), Eva Air (27.7 million kg), Philippine Airlines (27.2 million kg), Air Hongkong Ltd. (26.7 million kg), Korean Air (25.1 million kg), and Federal Express (20.6 million kg).
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in its air cargo market analysis for December 2021 that airlines in Asia Pacific struggled with a “lack of capacity, down 17.1% in 2021 versus 2019,” or before the pandemic.
“Demand for goods made in the region was nevertheless strong, including for PPE (personal protective equipment) in November and December,” it noted.
The IATA also said that international CTKs (cargo tonne-kilometres) in the Asia-Pacific region increased by 3.6% in 2021 compared with 2019, and by 8.8% in December.
Globally, the IATA said that “strong demand allowed world goods trade to increase by around 9.8%” year on year last year.
“Air cargo growth was twice as strong than the rebound in trade, exceeding this by 8.9% percentage points, a typical pattern during economic upturns,” it added. — Arjay L. Balinbin