Korean Air is focusing on increasing the competitiveness of its cargo routes in Southeast Asia and South America to buffer the effects of the current global economic slowdown and take advantage of the growing demand for cargo transport in the regions.

South Korea's flag carrier said it relaunched its twice-weekly cargo flights to Manila and also its Seoul-Bangkok freight flight using its Boeing 777F planes.

"While Korean Air had used its passenger aircraft to transport freight on the Manila and Bangkok routes, the demand for air cargo has shown a continuous rise as global companies are recently shifting their production bases to Southeast Asia," the airline said in a statement.

"The airline decided to operate cargo flights on these routes to seize the rising demand for air cargo, including items such as IT devices, automobile parts and hard disks," it added.

Korean Air also increased the frequency of its freight operations in South America from two to three times a week starting August 23.

The South America-bound 777F departs Incheon and returns there via Anchorage, Miami, Sao Paulo, Santiago, Lima and Los Angeles. 

The outbound flight will carry mostly manufactured goods such as mobile phone parts and automobiles. Electronic parts and aircraft engines bound for Brazil will also be loaded during transit in Miami.

The returning freighters will transport fresh cargo from Chile and Peru bound for Asia including salmon, cherries, asparagus, mangos and blueberries.

Korean Air said the route is the longest distance among its flights, taking nearly 70 hours to return to Incheon after departure.

To cushion the impact of the ongoing trade war between the world's biggest economies, the airline has been setting its sights on new markets for growth utilizing fifth freedom rights.

In May 2019, Korean Air expanded its cargo capacity, launching a freighter route between Incheon – Xi'an – Hanoi. It also increased the freighter frequency of its Incheon – Hanoi – Delhi – Vienna –Milan operation from three to four times a week. 

The added frequency has expanded air cargo transportation on these routes, carrying items such as mobile phones from Hanoi to Delhi, garments from Delhi to Vienna and Milan, and electronic devices from Xi'an to Hanoi.

"To cope with global economic uncertainties such as the prolonged trade dispute between the US and China, Korean Air will continue to strengthen its competitiveness in the cargo business by developing new markets and attracting new demands," the airline said.