HKG again named busiest cargo airport

Hong Kong International Airport has once again been crowned the top cargo airport in the world, a spot it has held for 13 of the last 14 years. [caption id="attachment_66904" align="alignright" width="300"] (Courtesy/HKG)[/caption] Airports Council International (ACI) World this week released a ranking of the top 10 cargo airports based on 2023 data gathered from more than 2,600 airports across more than 180 countries and territories. According to the ranking, the top 10 cargo airports in 2023, based on tonnage, are: Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) with 4.3 million tonnes; Memphis International Airport (MEM) with 3.9 million tonnes; Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport (PVG) with 3.4 million tonnes; Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) with 3.4 million tonnes; Incheon International Airport (ICN) with 2.7 million tonnes; Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) with 2.7 million tonnes; Miami International Airport (MIA) with 2.5 million tonnes; Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) with 2.4 million tonnes; Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with 2.1 million tonnes; and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) with 2.1 million tonnes. Compared with Air Cargo Next ’s top 50 cargo airports list, based on 2022 data, HKG, MEM and LAX maintained their spots. PVG, ICN and MIA each moved up a spot and ANC and SDF each moved down a spot. DOH moved into the top 10, moving up three spots to No. 8. TPE moved down three spots to No. 10. Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) fell out of the top 10 altogether. [caption id="attachment_57142733" align="alignnone" width="986"] (Courtesy/ACI World)[/caption] Investing in cargo ops HKG is expanding into a three-runway system, which will allow the airport to handle 10 million tonnes of cargo annually, according to a release from HKG. All three runways are expected to be operational by yearend. “We are proud to have claimed once again the top spot for air cargo throughput,” Jack So , chair of HKG operator Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), said in the release. “Air cargo is a key driver of the growth of Hong Kong’s logistics industry and overall economic development. AAHK shall continue to work tirelessly with our air cargo community to further strengthen [HKG’s] competitiveness as a global cargo hub.” MEM remains at No. 2 on the list due to its status as FedEx ’s air hub. “MEM’s status as the top cargo airport in North America and second busiest cargo airport in the world is due to the presence of FedEx, which makes up 99% of our cargo operations,” Glen Thomas , director of strategic marketing and communications at MEM, previously told Air Cargo Next . “ UPS also has a sizable presence at MEM.” Volumes fell in 2023 Air cargo volumes in 2023 fell 3.1% year over year to just under 113 million tonnes, according to ACI World. Volumes fell 4.6% in 2023 compared with pre-pandemic volumes in 2019. Volumes at the top 10 cargo airports — representing about 26%, or 29.6 million tonnes, of the global volumes in 2023 — fell 3.5% YoY. ACI World partially attributes the decline to geopolitical conflicts disrupting global trade and supply chains. “Cargo continues to play a key role in world commerce despite the year-over-year decrease,” ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said in a statement. “The rankings highlight the crucial role these transportation hubs play in global connectivity, commerce and economic development.”

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