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BY OUR AVIATION CORRESPONDENT
25 July, 2005: Korean Air’s cargo operations was the world’s number one in 2004, transporting a record 8.164 billion Freight Tonne-Kilometres (FTK), buoyant on soaring exports of electronics and IT products.
This is the first time the airline has achieved the world's number one position in terms of international scheduled FTK, pushing the reigning leader Lufthansa to the number two slot, according to data released by International Air Transport Association (IATA).
In its report on global airlines’ performance in cargo transport in 2004, IATA said the carrier took the lead with 8.164 billion FTK, a 20.1 per cent rise the previous year. FTK, a unit for cargo traffic performance, is calculated by multiplying the volume of cargo traffic by the flight distance.
This is the first time Korean Air has achieved the top slot after holding second place from 1996 to 2003.
"This achievement is the result of our aggressive strategy to constantly enter new markets, build up our infrastructure and create strategic partnerships to meet our customer's growing needs," Korean Air Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yang Ho Cho said.
Korean Air Executive Choi Jun-Jip said, "We transported over 100-tonne equivalent of cargo Incheon International Airport to Los Angeles 8,250 times. The company thus achieved its goal to become the world’s largest cargo carrier three years earlier than the 2007 target set last year on the occasion of its 35h anniversary".
German airline Lufthansa, which had maintained the lead for 19 years, came second in 2004 with its volume 136 million tonne-km short of Korean Air. Singapore Airlines came third followed by Cathay Pacific and China Airlines in the fifth position.
Korean Air's cargo operation spans the globe carrying cargo with operations to 39 destinations in 25 countries worldwide. The airline has a fleet of 113 aircraft including 18 freighters.
BY OUR AVIATION CORRESPONDENT
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