Northern European airports report mixed 2015 cargo results

Although Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, London-Heathrow and Frankfurt Airport saw throughput decline in 2015 in comparison to 2014, Leipzig/Halle Airport and Brussels Airport reported year-over-year increases in airfreight volumes.    Various major cargo airports in North Europe have released their 2015 cargo volumes, revealing that while Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, London-Heathrow and Frankfurt Airport saw year-over-year declines in airfreight volumes, Leipzig/Halle Airport and Brussels Airport experienced increases.
   A total of 1.62 million metric tons of cargo were handled at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in 2015, a 0.7 percent decline from 2014, the airport said.
   Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s trade with Asia during the year, the region the airport does the most business with, fell 2.8 percent year-over-year. In addition, the airport’s trade with Europe dropped 12.7 percent, while its trade with the Middle East decreased 0.1 percent compared to 2014.
   On a bright note, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s trade in 2015 with North America rose 5.6 percent, while its trade with Latin America increased 5.1 percent and trade with Africa inched up 0.5 percent, compared to 2014.
   London-Heathrow posted a total cargo throughput of 1.5 million metric tons in 2015, a 0.2 percent year-over-year drop.
   In addition, Frankfurt Airport saw its airfreight and airmail volumes fall 2.3 percent year-over-year in 2015 to 2.1 million metric tons, according to Fraport AG, the airport’s operator. Volumes were hindered by the weakening global trade and economic difficulties in some emerging markets, Fraport AG said.
   Leipzig Halle Airport handled 988,240 metric tons of cargo in 2015, while Brussels Airport handled 489,303 metric tons of cargo, a year-over-year increase of 8.5 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively.