Hong Kong soars to the top of air cargo hub rankings

It has handled over 5m metric tonnes in 2017.

Hong Kong flew across the annual airport rankings compiled by Airports Council International to land the top spot as the largest air cargo center in 2017.

It handled 5.05m metric tonnes of cargo last year after yearly volumes grew at a healthy 9.4% YoY. The airport's capacity to handle and transport sensitive pharmaceuticals via air has also been affirmed after the International Air Transport Association certified HKIA as a Partner Airport of IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics.

Also read: HKIA ramps up efforts to maintain lead as world's busiest cargo airport

“Air cargo experienced a revival across many of the world’s airports in 2017 and into 2018. Even with the uncertainty regarding the threat of trade wars and the growth of protectionist sentiments across the world, business confidence has remained strong through inventory build-ups and increased export orders in 2017,” the report noted.

Memphis flew in to second spot after handling 4.34 metric tonnes followed by Shanghai and Incheon which handled 3.8m and 2.9m metric tonnes respectively.

As a whole, air cargo volumes at the world’s 20 busiest airports rose 6.8% in 2017 after handling a combined 51m metric tonnes of cargo.