Korean Air has won the prestigious Air Transport World, Cargo Operator of the Year for 2022.
Last year the airline was recognized as ATW’s 2021 Airline of the Year.
Launched in 1974, ATW’s annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards are known as one of the most coveted honors an airline can receive. This year’s 48th awards ceremony will be held in Doha, Qatar on June 21.
When making its decision for the Cargo Operator of the Year, ATW’s global judging panel of editors and analysts cited, “the strong financial performance, its continued innovation and agility, its wider initiatives in disaster relief, and in animal/wildlife conservation.” The judges also noted that “the airline’s investment and application of technology & digitalization is particularly impressive and it sets the bar for the air cargo industry.”
“We are honored to be a winner of ATW’s renowned awards for the second consecutive year, especially in these difficult times” said Eum, Jae Dong, Senior Vice President and Head of Cargo Business Division at Korean Air. “This achievement was made possible by the efforts of not only our cargo teams but by the concerted efforts of our company in its entirety. Korean Air remains committed to delivering excellence in service to our customers as a global leading airline.”
Korean Air Cargo, with its 50 years of history, is one of the world’s top five air freight operators and is a seasoned expert in every sector of the business. During the course of the pandemic, it placed additional focus on transporting perishables and pharmaceutical products requiring a cold chain and has committed to the urgent and timely transportation of vaccines, diagnostic kits and personal protection equipment.
The award comes after Korean Air recorded revenue of KRW 2.8259 trillion (USD 2,383.7 million) and an operating profit of KRW 704.4 billion (USD 594.2 million) in its fourth-quarter financial results for 2021.
For the full year of 2021, the airline reported KRW 8.7534 trillion (USD 7,383.7 million) in revenue and KRW 1.4644 trillion (USD 1,235.3 million) in operating profit. Korean Air achieved all-time records for both quarterly and annual operating profits in the company’s 53-year history.
While the spread of COVID variants delayed the airline’s passenger business recovery, the business saw revenue increase by 14 per cent to KRW 379.5 billion with a rise in passenger traffic bolstered by quarantine-free travel extended to destinations such as Guam, Singapore and Hawaii from Korea.
