FRA airfreight traffic hit by export weakness

Frankfurt Airport ’s cargo traffic continues to feel the impact of economic slowdown as the latest market analysis confirms a general downward trend in volumes and rates. Last month, throughput at Frankfurt (FRA), Europe’s biggest hub for air cargo, totaled 160,047 tonnes, including airfreight and airmail, down 4.6% from June 2022 and down 8.2% from 2019, according to figures released by Fraport. [caption id="attachment_57136761" align="alignright" width="300"] The apron for Terminal 2 at Frankfurt Airport (Photo/Fraport)[/caption] Fraport , the airport authority that operates FRA, underlined in a recent report that the negative comparisons were due to “sustained export weakness, which is reflected by a below average development of the outbound cargo volumes. International trade flows remained weak in June 2023 because export business continued to decline.” Fraport also noted that, due to the increase in scheduled passenger flights, belly cargo tonnage in June reached 93% of the June 2019 level . Compared to June 2022 there was “a dynamic increase of 27.7%.” Conversely, the cargo carried on freighter flights was down 17.7% year over year and showed a decrease of 8.8% from June 2019. Consequently, the distribution of FRA’s cargo on freighter flights (61.4%) and passenger flights (38.6%) was back to 2019 levels, Fraport reported. On North America passenger flights, cargo tonnage was up 10.2% YoY and 9.5% from June 2019. A spokesperson for Fraport told Air Cargo Next that the increase is reflected by “ a fairly robust trade flow on the North Atlantic. “ In contrast, the total tonnage on Far East routes was lower than in June 2022, a decrease of 10.5%, as well as June 2019, by 2.6%. For routes connecting Japan, Singapore and India, tonnage fell short of June 2022 and June 2019 levels, too. “ This corresponds to the general decline in airfreight volumes on this trade lane, essentially due to the overall economic situation, ” the spokesperson said. Commenting on the outlook for FRA’s cargo traffic in the second half the year, the spokesperson said: “ We generally expect stable monthly cargo volumes in the coming months with only minor seasonal fluctuations and remaining below the comparative figures for 2019. ” Global decline continues Meanwhile, the latest air cargo market analysis from WorldACD indicates a continued global decline in volumes and rates. Figures for the week July 3-9 show a 4% decrease in tonnages compared with the previous week, and average worldwide air cargo prices also fell 1% week over week. Comparing June 26 through July 9 with the preceding two weeks, overall tonnages decreased by 6%, with capacity and average worldwide rates both down 1%. At a regional level, strong drops in tonnages were recorded 2Wo2W, most notably with double-digit declines ex-Middle East and South Asia by 17% and ex-Africa by 11%. On a region-to-region level, significant declines were recorded ex-North America to Europe, 15%; between Europe and Middle East-South Asia, westbound 15% and eastbound 13%; Asia Pacific to Middle East-South Asia, 14%; and between Africa and Europe, southbound 12% and northbound 7%, WorldACD reported. Other notable 2Wo2W changes included an 8% drop ex-North America to Central and South America and 6% drop ex-Asia Pacific to North America, while the highest increase was observed on intra-Asia Pacific flows at 4%. On the pricing side, average rates show a small decrease on a regional level for most lanes, on a 2Wo2W basis, with two notable exceptions: ex-North America to Asia Pacific declined 5%; and declines between Europe and Asia Pacific, westbound 3% and eastbound 2%. Lanes with slight increases include Central and South America to Europe at 2%, Africa to North America at1%) and Africa to Europe at 1%, WorldACD reported. Join Air Cargo Next for the second Air Cargo Tech Summit on Monday, Sept. 18, and Tuesday, Sept. 19, at the Brussels Marriott Hotel Grand Place in Belgium. For more information on the summit and to register, click here .

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