Compared with the previous show in Shanghai, the used floor space of the 13th Air Freight Asia Exhibition has expanded by more than 20 percent, refl ecting continued interest from the international air cargo industry in displaying their products and services in Asia, the world’s fastest growingeconomic region.

Seventy exhibitors from Asia (including China), the Middle East, Europe (including Russia) and the US have confi rmed their participation in this year’s event. The latest additions to the growing exhibitors list include China Southern Airlines Cargo, Polet Cargo Airlines and Aeroflot Cargo.

"Considering the fact that we only had less than nine months to market this exhibition, the response from the industry has been phenomenal and underlines the solid reputation of the event which started in 1986 as supporter of the then Asian Aerospace Show in Singapore,"said organiser Nol van Fenema.

He added that while the air cargo industry continues to be healthy in most Asian countries, there was a distinct shift in growth towards the north of the region with Hong Kong and in particular China, growing at a much faster pace than the rest of theregion.

"Because of Hong Kong’s strategic location and ease of access, we expect a large group of trade visitors to come from China this year,"van Fenema noted, adding that the Chinese air cargo industry, which in many areas is leapfrogging to meet ever increasing demand for both exports and imports, wanted to get access to the latest technologies.

"As a leading trade event in the region, Air Freight Asia 2007 will have a great variety of exhibitors, which will be keen to showcase their products and services to their existing and potential customers in Asia."