The Airports Council International (ACI) says freight volumes grew by 6.6 per cent October at the globe’s gateways – well above the 2.1 per cent 12 month average growth rate.
ACI says it was driven by the 9.9 per cent growth rate in international freight, which was accompanied by a 0.5 per cent decline in domestic airfreight volumes.
All regions witnessed gains: the Middle East and Asia Pacific markets recorded the strongest growth at 11.5 per cent and 10.2 per cent respectively.
The airport trade body saw new key electronic products in October – mainly mobile devices – contributed to the surge of airfreight traffic.
Dubai and Doha – the two main air cargo hubs in the Middle East, saw an increase of 9.5 per cent and 21.5 per cent, respectively.
Similarly, Shanghai, Incheon, Tokyo and Taipei, four of the top five airports for freight traffic in Asia Pacific, posted double-digit growth of 11.3 per cent, 10.6 per cent, 10.9 per cent and 13.6 per cent, respectively.