By winning the three main awards – Best Air Cargo Company to Europe, the Americas and Africa – TAP was the big winner at the Transportes & Negócios Cargo Awards 2009. The awards were presented by Transportes & Negócios, the main publication in the sector, at a ceremony held in Oporto and attended by over a hundred directors, entrepreneurs and managers in the air cargo sector.

In a particularly difficult year for the world economy with a significant impact on air cargo, this award comes at a time when TAP Cargo is finally showing positive signs, largely due to an increase in exports from Europe to South America and Africa.

In confirmation of this trend, TAP recorded positive results in the cargo sector for the first time this year, in November, with a total of 5,141 tonnes transported, representing a 1.3% increase against the same month in 2008. This is the first month in 2009 to register year-on-year growth.

According to José Anjos, Cargo Director at TAP, “Since September, all the European markets have been showing clear signs of recovery in terms of volumes of cargo transported. In terms of income, improvements are tangible but are still far below last year due to the low fares still being charged in the market.”

Markets with similar performances to last year include Portugal, Spain and Italy, while Germany and France are showing remarkable improvements. Outside Europe, Brazil is recovering and Angola continues to expand.