Air cargo volume up 13 pct through Sept. amid Red Sea crisis

The combined volume of international air cargo handled by South Korean carriers rose 13 percent on-year through September, data showed Sunday, amid lingering disruptions in the Red Sea maritime shipping route. Over the January-September period, the country's 11 air carriers transported 2.09 million tons of international cargo, compared with 1.84 million tons tallied a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It marked the first time the nine-month data hovered above 2 million tons since 2.07 million tons were recorded in 2018. The increase apparently came amid soaring maritime shipping costs and extended transit times due to the geopolitical crisis in the Red Sea. Experts noted that the rising popularity of Chinese online shopping platforms in South Korea, along with increased exports in sectors such as semiconductors and cosmetics, also contributed to the growth in cargo. By carrier, Korean Air Lines Co. saw its international cargo volume rise 12 pe rcent on-year to reach 1.19 million tons. Asiana Airlines Inc. also saw its air cargo rise 6.8 percent over the period to 565,000 tons, followed by Jeju Air Co. with 86,000 tons, up 25.7 percent. Air Incheon, which plans to complete its planned acquisition of Asiana's cargo business division next year, saw its cargo volume reach 29,000 tons, remaining nearly unchanged from the previous year. Source: Yonhap News Agency