Sheremetyevo passes 300,000 tonnes total cargo, mail for 2017

Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) saw a healthy increase in cargo traffic during 2017, thanks to strengthening global trade, as the airport reported handling more than 290,000 tonnes of cargo and 35,000 tonnes of airmail during 2017 – up 27.3 percent and 43.8 percent, respectively, compared to 2016.

International cargo volumes were reported as increasing by 55.7 percent, year-over-year, during 2017, while the most popular international routes – accounting for more than half of total freight traffic at the airport – were between Moscow and China, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France and the United States.

The airport attributed its growth to the overall health of the airfreight industry in 2017, with the most significant factors including increased investment in Europe, strong consumer confidence and healthy growth in international e-commerce.

Alexander Ponomarenko, the airport’s chairman of the board, said the airport still intends to establish itself as the leading European hub for global airfreight. “By 2024, we expect to handle more than 700,000 tonnes of cargo annually,” he said, adding that the construction of a second cargo terminal to match the recently opened, 380,000 tonne-per-year Moscow Cargo is key to achieving the airport’s goal.