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    • Airport data shows world cargo up 3.7pc - Hong Kong leads, up 6.3pc

      A 3.7 per cent increase in global air freight growth in the first half has been posted with international traffic rising 4.5 per cent and domestic volumes up 1.8 per cent, according to the Airports Council International (ACI).


      Statistics from the Montreal-based world airport association show airports averaged year-on-year cargo growth of 2.8 per cent - up 3.2 per cent for international traffic and 1.7 per cent for domestic.


      IATA's freight tonne kilometres (FTK) figures estimate global air freight in the first half of 2014 at 4.1 per cent, while Amsterdam-based research house WorldACD reports a slightly higher tonnage this year.


      Taking 50 airlines' transactions with 15,000 forwarders showed 4.8 per cent year on year growth in the first half, according to the WorldACD database, reported Lloyd's Loading List.


      ACI data shows Asia-Pacific airport cargo volume grew five per cent in the first half with the world's busiest airport - Hong Kong - growing 6.3 per cent to 2.1 million tonnes after 2.4 per cent growth in 2013.


      Japan's air freight recovery also appears to be gaining strength as its economy shows signs of growth, with Tokyo Narita Airport achieving a traffic increase of nine per cent in the first half to 997,000 tonnes.


      But Singapore's Changi airport only posted a 0.6 per cent first half increase to 910,000 tonnes, continuing last year's flat performance when volumes grew 0.8 per cent.


      ACI data indicates growth averaging 4.5 per cent at Europe's airports with the busiest, Frankfurt, up 2.2 per cent to 1.1 million tonnes in the first half, though Schiphol grew 8.8 per cent to 801,000 tonnes.


      London Heathrow was up 4.1 per cent to 726,000 tonnes in the first half, but Italy's Malpensa topped the table for European growth with a 12 per cent increase. Luxembourg was up nine per cent to 345,000 tonnes.


      Leipzig, Cologne, Liege and Paris Charles de Gaulle achieved single-digit growth this year as the integrators have limited capacity in response to the switch in demand towards "deferred express" services.


      North American air cargo volume posted 2.3 per cent first half growth, 5.1 per cent of it international and 0.5 per cent, domestic traffic.


      LAX first half volumes were flat at 951,000 tonnes while O'Hare was up 8.5 per cent to 738,000 tonnes; Dallas Fort Worth was up five per cent to 335,000 tonnes while Miami volumes increased 1.9 per cent to 936,000 tonnes.


      ACI figures showed Latin America-Caribbean first half cargo growth averaging 0.4 per cent. Mideast carriers have continued to expand with volumes up 10 per cent with capacity rising 8.6 per cent year on year.


      Africa was up 3.1 per cent in the first half, affected by a slowdown in some African economies, notably South Africa, though ACI's FreightFlash snapshot indicates African airports declined 2.3 per cent in the first half.