The rate of growth of air cargo traffic in the Middle East and Asia is slowing but expansion remains the dominant feature on a world trading map that is tilting decidedly towards the regions.

The shifting global landscape comes as the cargo map in the US is showing the impact of big changes in both the international arena and domestic shipping. Many second-tier airports are facing declining freight volumes in the wake of an economic slowdown and capacity cutbacks by belly carriers.

The latest list of the world's 50 largest cargo airports ranks Dubai International Airport 13th in terms of cargo traffic. The Air Cargo World list is compiled with figures from the Airports Council International and the airports.

Dubai International handled 1.6 million tonnes of cargo in 2007 through Dubai Cargo Village (DCV). Memphis International, home and headquarters of Fedex Express, handled 3.8 million tonnes to maintain its number one position.

However, Dubai remains among the top five fastest-expanding airports in terms of cargo traffic with a growth rate of 11 per cent compared with Memphis's four per cent.

"Dubai is a viable gateway for cargo to Europe and Asia and transit point for cargo from Africa," said Jean Pierre De Pauw, Senior Vice-President of Dnata Cargo.

While there is a global shrinkage in air cargo volumes, Dubai still has scope for growth due to the economic boom in all sectors in the UAE. DCV, which is undergoing expansion, saw robust growth in the first half of 2008 – it handled 831,978 tonnes of freight, representing a 10.7 per cent growth over the first half of 2007.

Although not yet in the top 50, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah continue to inch up the list with 22.7 per cent and 16.2 per cent traffic growth in 2007, a sign that Dubai is not the only cargo centre of note in the Middle East.

The list shows that Asian airports are continuing to perform strongly and are edging ever closer to the number one spot. Hong Kong International, an Asia hub for DHL and main hub for Cathay Pacific/Dragonair, remains number one for international air transport and is edging closer to Memphis.

Hong Kong's growth outpaced Memphis last year at 4.5 per cent and it was ahead of the FedEx hub again in the first few months of 2008, putting Hong Kong in reach of surpassing the world's longtime top cargo airport.

Hong Kong's expansion comes as government and carrier attention increasingly turns towards Hong Kong's closest competitors, the airports on mainland China.

Baiyun Guangzho in Southern China grew by 6.4 per cent last year and nearby Shenzhen was up 10.1 per cent – and both are expected to see still greater growth soon. FedEx's hub at Guangzho is under construction and UPS announced recently that it will move its intra-Asia hub to Shenzhen.

At number five, Shanghai Pudong remains the top-growth market by cargo volume with a 15.5 per cent growth, reflecting the potential from the world's most populated country.

Seoul Incheon remained at number four despite a slowdown from its primary carrier, Korean Air, as well as the threat posed by Chinese airports as alternative gateways for Northeast Asia.

China figures strategically in Incheon's fortunes. Last year, trans-shipment traffic surpassed origin/destination cargo for the first time – and China accounted for a large portion of that cargo.

Anchorage International, a transit stop for East-West traffic and a maintenance centre for Northwest Airlines, remains at the number three spot. All signs point to further growth in cargo volume at this Alaska gateway.

At number 38, Liege – the main hub for TNT and transit point for Atlas Air – leads year-on-year growth among the top 50 cargo airports with a 20.6 per cent increase in volume, followed by Milan Malpensa Airport (per cent) and Beijing Capital Airport (15.8 per cent).

Frankfurt came in at number seven despite posting only a 1.9 per cent growth in tonnage last year. Lufthansa and DHL Express are moving cargo to Leipzig and elsewhere and Frankfurt has to contend with strict nighttime flight restrictions that allow only 17 flights between 11pm and 5am.

The bright spot for airport expansion remains the Middle East and India. Freight tonnage for Mumbai and New Delhi continue to increase with 12.1 per cent and 8.7 per cent increases in 2007 despite infrastructure that significantly limits long-term growth.

A disturbing trend is the continued decline in cargo volume at US gateways. Volume at New York's John F Kennedy and Newark airports fell last year by 2.8 per cent and 2.7 per cent respectively. Cargo volume also declined at Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth.