Through the assistance of Air Cargo World’s sister publication, Cargo Facts, we looked at the IATA data list through a different lens, measuring performance in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs), grouping some airlines by the parent companies to which they belong. So, for this modified version of the Freight 50, we have merged affiliated airlines under their respective groups. Also, for carriers such as DHL, which relies on many other airlines to carrying its express freight, we have made every attempt to include as much of this traffic as possible under the “DHL Express” name. We believe this presents a much more accurate picture of how the cargo carriers should be ranked.
Rank | Airline (or Airline Group) | Cargo Traffic (FTKs millions) |
1 | Federal Express | 16,072 |
2 | Emirates | 11,326 |
3 | UPS Airlines | 10,923 |
4 | Lufthansa | 10,897 |
5 | Cathay Pacific Group | 10,044 |
6 | Air France-KLM | 9,817 |
7 | Korean Air | 8,254 |
8 | DHL Express | 7,850 |
9 | Cargolux | 6,364 |
10 | Singapore Airlines | 6,151 |
Source: IATA, U.S. DOT, Cargo Facts