Cargo activity up at Amsterdam airport

   Total cargo activity at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol edged up 2.25 percent in the first quarter, ending the three-month period at 366,269 tons.
   Freighter movements at the Dutch airport inched up, year over year, 0.4 percent.
   During the quarter, cargo performed well year over year in January and March, but dipped in February due to the slowdown in cargo activity surrounding the Chinese New Year. Asian cargo fell by 9.5 percent, year over year, that month, but positive Latin American activity meant February’s tonnage only dropped by 3.9 percent, year over year.
   In March, tonnage out of Europe, Africa and Latin America all topped growth rates of 10 percent, and Asia rebounded to show a 4.9-percent, year-over-year improvement.
   “The figures so far are encouraging. Recent experiences teach us all to be cautious about predictions, but there is an air of optimism in the business that we have not seen for some time,” Schiphol Cargo’s Enno Osinga said in a statement. “So I would like to think we can maintain or improve this trend throughout the year.” – Jon Ross