2011 freight stagnates at key airports

   Cargo growth in 2011 at two of the world’s largest air freight airports largely showed stagnation in the industry.
   Volume rose 0.8 percent in 2011 at Amsterdam’s Schipol International Airport, with the airport handling 1.5 million tons of freight during the year. The airport is the third largest cargo-handling airport in Europe.
   Volume from North America rose markedly in 2011, by 13.3 percent, to 136,065 tons, but volume from Asia dropped noticeably in both directions. Imports from Asia fell 12.9 percent to 322,843 tons, while exports to Asia fell 7.3 percent to 286,769 tons. Two-way trade with Asia fell 10.4 percent.
   “2011 began promisingly, but very soon revealed itself as a challenging year for the industry,” said Schiphol Cargo Senior Vice President Enno Osinga. “We take some comfort from the fact that we have still managed to show growth over 2010, and that ours was the only positive result among Europe’s top three cargo gateways.
   “It’s clear that inbound traffic from the Far East is soft, and likely to remain so for a while,” Osinga added. “As the Far East is our largest market and accounts for some 40 percent of our total tonnages, even modest falls in its traffic are difficult to offset with growth in other markets.”
   Meanwhile, airfreight volume at Dubai International Airport fell 1.5 percent to 2.2 million tons, with airport officials also attributing the drop to a dive in Asia exports.