Liège cargo strategy pays off with record volumes in 2017

While other European airports were giving cargo the cold shoulder (or at least forcing them to compete for limited slots), Belgium’s Liège Airport did just the opposite, perusing cargo carriers through a strategy of unlimited slots and landing times, and massive investments into cargo facilities. Now, the airport is announcing all-time record volumes of 717,000 tonnes of goods handled in 2017, up 8.5 percent over 2016.

“This confirms the relevance of our strategy support for full cargo companies”, said Luc Partoune, CEO of Liège Airport.

Liège Airport accredited its strong showing to a strong global airfreight market, but also pointed to “the emergence of new e-commerce opportunities.”

Another driver of growth was the addition of scheduled flights by Air China Cargo and AirBridgeCargo, the latter having recently made headlines by strong-arming Schiphol Airport over slot availability. Liège Airport took advantage of the dispute to advertise its own availability and cargo-friendly policies.

The year ahead promises a continuation of the airport’s cargo policies. “One 6,000-square-meter cargo hall will be in operation within the next few weeks, and more than 20,000 square meters will soon be built, as well as four new parking stands for large aircraft,” said Partoune.

Partoune said that the spending represented an investment of more than €50 million. He added that the airport’s success was spreading outward, with real estate performing well at the adjacent Liège Airport Business Park. “It has also been very successful, with a 97 percent occupancy rate for office space and 100 percent for warehouses.”