In May, freight activity at airports worldwide grew 4.2 percent, year-over-year, and rose by 3.9 percent in the first five months of the year, according to Airports Council International.
The most growth occurred at airports in Europe, which saw activity rise 6.6 percent, year-over-year, and the Asia-Pacific region, which experienced a 5.6-percent increase.
ACI’s report noted that although air freight is doing a lot better than it once was, carriers still need to “rethink their business model” because shippers continue to move toward cheaper modes of transport.
“From a long-run historical perspective, the air freight industry remains relatively sluggish since it has barely surpassed the volumes that existed in the pre-Great Recession era,” said ACI’s economics director, Rafael Echevarne, in a statement. “The weakness in the air freight market over the last decade is largely attributed to a loss in market share to other competing modes of freight shipment such as ocean freight.
ACI’s numbers are in line with May results published by the International Air Transport Association, which recently measured a 4.7-percent, year-over-year, increase in worldwide cargo activity.
Airports experienced increased May cargo activity
