COVID resurgence, peaks anxiety in Europe

[caption id="attachment_51557" align="alignright" width="461"] An ABC plane at Liege Airport. Photo/AirBridgeCargo[/caption] Air cargo’s front line is on edge as the 2020 peak season approaches alongside an increase in COVID-19 hotspots, which have been flaring up across Europe since early October after a quiet, somewhat contained summer. The number of all-cargo flights landing at airports in Western Europe continued to swell month to month in September, and there are even greater expectations for cargo throughput in October — as long as vital links in the supply chain continue to resist infection. In Belgium’s Liege province, home to the namesake cargo-focused Liege Airport ( LGG ), weekly infections hit 10,000 cases last week after a three-month period of fewer than 100 cases per week, according to data from the country’s public health department. Despite social distancing measures, LGG has seen an uptick in the number of on-airport staff calling out due to illness or COVID-19 exposure, according to the airport. Handlers are still operational for now, AirBridgeCargo , a major operator at the airport, told Air Cargo World , but the airport has activated contingency plans to keep operations staffed. Ensuring an adequate supply of free personal protective equipment (PPE) is the first line of defense for airport staff, but LGG is also making it easier for ground handlers to bring in staff from other airports. Airport security at Liege now recognizes badges of employees based at other Belgian airports, including Brussels (BRU) and Charleroi (CRL). A similar setup sent Brussels-based World Flight Service handlers to Liege for a temporary period in April, when LGG launched a pop-up facility to accommodate PPE shipments . More cargo is also being pushed off airport to the second line, said Steven Verhasselt, VP commercial of Liege Airport. While these facilities can handle some of the overflow, peak pressure is expected to intensify in the weeks ahead. “[We are] hoping the worst will pass before peak really begins,” said Verhasselt. Singles Day, a shopping holiday coined by e-tailer Alibaba, falls on Nov. 11 and is expected to boost charter activity at LGG. Alibaba logistics arm Cainiao said in a statement it will charter approximately 700 flights in the lead-up to, and following, Singles Day, and Liege is a major link in Alibaba’s cross-border fulfillment network. With COVID-19 cases again rising across much of Europe, no operations are completely immune, and caution is in abundance as cargo throughput throttles. The region’s largest cargo airport by volume, Frankfurt ( FRA ), told Air Cargo World that handlers based at the airport have continued to operate as normal. For the month of September, FRA reported cargo volume that was off by just 5% at 166,000 tonnes. Most other cargo-intensive airports in Western Europe continued to see sharp increases in cargo flights last month. Amsterdam Airport ( AMS ) saw a significant increase in full-freighter flights — up 66% to 2,096 in September 2019 — but this was still insufficient to offset the decline in lower-hold volumes. Cargo throughput declined 9.0% to 125,000 tonnes. Brussels Airport ( BRU ) reported that September 2020 throughput was up 18.9% YoY to 47,000 tonnes. Despite a 51.2% drop in belly cargo, both integrators and all-cargo operators added freighter capacity, and cargo-flight movements rose 39.9% YoY to 1,644. Cargo Airport Growth Summit , which takes place as a virtual event from Nov. 17-18, is a new opportunity for airport stakeholders to share insights, trends, strategies and best practices for improving the cargo value proposition for carriers and forwarders. Click here to register.

COVID resurgence, peaks anxiety in Europe

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