Global demand for air freight rose by 10.4 percent during the first half of 2017, compared to the same period a year earlier, marking the strongest demand for air cargo since air freight’s rebound from the global financial crisis seven years ago in 2010, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a press release yesterday.

Cargo volumes of Asia-Pacific airlines grew by 10.1 percent year-on-year during the first half of 2017, while capacity grew by 4.8 percent, according to the release.

“Seasonally adjusted international freight volumes are now 4 percent above the level reached in 2010 following the global financial crisis bounce-back. Demand growth has been strongest, between 13-15 percent, on international routes within Asia as well as between Asia and Europe,” IATA said.

Cambodia’s demand for air freight has been growing ahead of the curve and with no sign of slowing down, according to Khek Norinda, communications director of Cambodia Airports, the company that operates the Kingdom’s three international airports.

“For Cambodia, air freight output started to bounce back in the second half of 2016 and it has maintained momentum,” he said yesterday. “It is driven by the country’s good economic environment, the dynamism of the garment industry and [increased] air cargo capacity.”

Capacity has grown sharply since the start of 2016, with at least seven international cargo carriers adding routes to Cambodia.

According to Norinda, cargo throughput at the Kingdom’s three airports totalled 29,100 tonnes during the first six months of 2017, marking a 34 percent increase compared to the same period in 2016.

Norinda said he was “reasonably optimistic” about the future of Cambodian air freight given the regional and global trends.