China Cargo Airlines, part of China Eastern Airlines, made a profit in the first quarter of 2010 for the first time since 2005, as a result of the upturn in the global air freight market.

Freight traffic increased 43 per cent year-on-year in the first three months, driving up revenue by 95 per cent. China’s freight traffic expanded 51 per cent from a year earlier in the first two months of 2010, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

China Cargo Airlines introduced two Boeing B777 cargo aircraft in February and March in anticipation of increased demand resulting from the Shanghai World Expo, which began on 1 May. Shanghai Pudong International Airport recorded more than 3,000 cargo flights in March, up 38 per cent from the same month last year.