Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl), has been named Ground Handler of the Year at the 2026 Air Cargo News Awards. It was also highly commended in both the Air Cargo Environment and the Innovation Award - Product categories. The results were announced at the annual awards ceremony in London.

This is the second consecutive year Hactl has received the Ground Handler of the Year title. The win reaffirms its position as a global benchmark for excellence in air cargo handling. It also points to a clear strategy that combines digital capability, operational intelligence and sustainability across terminal operations.

The Air Cargo News Awards recognize outstanding achievements across the air cargo industry, from innovative solutions to complex transport challenges to investments in new technologies, services and innovations. For each category, entrants must submit an entry outlining their achievements over the previous 12 months. An independent panel of industry experts then evaluates every submission through a rigorous and robust process.

Because entries are judged on documented results from the past year, the awards carry particular weight with freight forwarders, shippers and importers. Recognition rests on demonstrated performance rather than reputation alone.

Hactl's Ground Handler of the Year submission outlined a broad program of progress over the past 12 months. Key elements included:

- Improved customer ratings, reflecting stronger service performance across its operations

- Hong Kong's first private 5G-enabled air cargo terminal, establishing a dedicated digital network within the terminal environment

- Operational intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI), applied to strengthen decision-making across cargo handling

- Greater automation across terminal operations

- The world's first lab-validated 100% closed-loop post-consumer recycled (PCR) cargo film, developed by Hactl

- Hactl Think Park, the company's future-focused training and development centre

Together, these initiatives address priorities that matter to the forwarding community: efficiency, reliability and the continued digital transformation of air cargo handling. Freight forwarders build their own service promises on terminal performance. Investment in connectivity, intelligence and automation at the handling stage therefore strengthens the wider supply chain that forwarders and cargo owners depend on.

In the Air Cargo Environment category, Hactl's highly commended entry showed how sustainability is embedded across its operations. The submission highlighted:

The use of renewable diesel in its operations

Hactl Think Park, which holds a BEAM Plus Platinum rating

The Zero-Waste Uniform Upcycling Project

The Green Terminal Pact

These initiatives come as shippers and their logistics partners face growing pressure to show environmental progress across their supply chains. Each measure applies sustainability practice at a different level of the business, from fuel and facilities to materials and partnerships.

Hactl's development of the world's first 100% closed-loop PCR cargo film also earned it a highly commended placing in the Innovation Award - Product category. The solution could potentially divert 700 tonnes of plastic waste each year. It could also reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 63%.

Cargo film is a core consumable in air freight handling, which gives the innovation practical relevance across the industry. The closed-loop model shows how an everyday operational material can become a measurable lever for reducing waste and emissions.

Receiving the awards in London, Hactl Chief Executive Frosti Lau said: "On behalf of the entire Hactl team, we are delighted to receive these highly respected awards. This recognition reflects the dedication and hard work of our team, as well as our continued commitment to service excellence, sustainability and innovation. We sincerely thank Air Cargo News and the judging panel for these honours."

With a second consecutive Ground Handler of the Year title and two highly commended placings, Hactl's results at the 2026 Air Cargo News Awards reflect sustained progress across service, technology and environmental performance. Its 5G-enabled terminal, AI-supported operations, expanded automation and closed-loop PCR cargo film work together as parts of a single strategy. Hactl is not only handling cargo at scale. It is setting the standard for how a modern air cargo terminal can strengthen the supply chains it serves.