Asia, in particular China, is key to rejuvenating growth in air cargo, a USD6 trillion industry that has suffered from sustained stagnation since the 2008 financial crisis, and e-commerce is expected to spearhead that revival, according to global aviation and air-cargo leaders meeting in Zhengzhou, China, for the first Air Cargo Development Forum. Air cargo, which transports 35% of global trade by value, has yet to return to pre-recession levels by volume, but fresh data showed acceleration in traffic growth. During the first half of 2014, world freight traffic grew 3.7%. Asia, by far the world’s largest cargo market and responsible for 39% of the total volume, recorded growth above the worldwide average in 2013, with eastern Asia growing at 4.5%. China represents 45% of the region’s air-cargo market while Chek Lap Kok in Hong Kong is the world’s largest cargo airport. Cargo throughput at Hong Kong International Airport recorded a 5% increase in 2013 to 4.2 million tons, above the regional average of 2.1%. Xia Xinghua, Director General of the China Civil Airports Association, noted that one-third of Chinese rely on e-commerce, forcing freight handlers and airlines to work together. Wang Zhiqing, Deputy Administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), said air cargo in the country experienced rapid growth between 2002 and 2010, with yearly growth close to 10%, followed by a decline in 2011 to 2013. In the first half of this year, domestic freight increased 5.7% and international 6.6%. China’s express market has grown 43.5% per year since 2008 to become the world’s second-largest after the United States, underpinned by the rise of e-commerce. China currently has 101 air freighters, 80% of which are used for express deliveries.