Throughput at cargo airports falls in January

Despite the strong end to 2021 for the cargo industry, 2022 got off to a slower start as January volumes dipped at some cargo airports, averaging an overall 0.6% decrease in tonnage compared with 2019 volumes. [caption id="attachment_89726" align="alignright" width="501"] Photo courtesy of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.[/caption] Although many cargo airports saw December increases that pushed full-year growth up roughly 15% above 2019 levels , January statistics had some airports off to a rocky start. For instance, in the Asia-Pacific region, flight reductions and travel restrictions due to COVID-19 omicron outbreaks negatively impacted cargo tonnage at airports like Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), according to today’s airport release. In turn, HKG processed significantly fewer transshipments compared with December’s 18% year-over-year increase in transshipments which pushed throughput volumes up at the airport. North America Cargo airports and gateways in North America showed mixed January results, with major FedEx hub and cargo gateway Memphis International Airport (MEM) posting a nearly 22.5% decrease to 295,789 tonnes compared with January 2019, according to the airport’s latest traffic report. Even compared to January 2021 tonnage, MEM saw a 24.8% decrease in volumes to 393,413 tonnes of cargo. MEM ranked No. 1 in Air Cargo World ’s Top 50 Cargo Airports ranking based on 2020 throughput. It is unclear what caused the significant drop in tonnage handled at MEM, which also saw lower overall volumes in 2021 of 4,481,232 tonnes of cargo, compared with 2020’s 4,613,431 tonnes. However, FedEx faced disruptions throughout January due to extreme winter weather in the U.S. and the rising number of omicron outbreaks, forcing the integrator to adjust operations. Meanwhile on the West Coast, Ontario International Airport, which stood at No. 29 in the top airports ranking, saw a 13% increase in cargo volumes to 62,219 tonnes, compared with the same month in 2019, according to the airport’s latest traffic report. Compared with 2021, ONT’s January throughput saw a 7% decrease to 73,772 tonnes. Asia-Pacific Airports based in the Asia-Pacific region also saw mixed results. Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Korea, which ranked No. 6 in the report, handled roughly 269,154 tonnes of cargo in January, up 23.8% compared with the same month in 2019, according to the airport’s traffic statistics. Compared with January 2021 volumes, ICN saw only a 3% increase. HKG, on the other hand, saw cargo throughput decline by roughly 2.5% to 391,000 tonnes, according to today’s release. January was a tough month for HKG as ongoing omicron outbreaks continued to cause disruptions at airports. On top of the region’s already depressed passenger travel, Hong Kong put country-specific travel bans in place from Jan. 8 through Jan. 21, which only further constrained capacity in the region. Cathay Pacific Cargo, which is based at HKG, in turn heavily reduced flight frequencies in January before resuming cargo-only passenger operations between HKG and the U.S. this month . While transshipments moving through HKG declined by nearly double digits YoY, exports saw a 4.2% increase in exports compared with January 2021, according to the release. Cargo to and from North America experienced the most severe decrease in tonnage during the month, according to the report. Volumes at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) were also down 5.5% to 136,760 tonnes compared with January 2019, according to the latest statistics from PVG-based terminal operator Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal Co. Ltd. (PACTL). Europe Although January tonnage was spotty among European airports, Frankfurt International Airport (FRA), most recently ranked No. 14, continued to see significant growth. In January, 174,753 tonnes of cargo were handled at FRA, up 7% from the same month in 2019, which saw throughput of 163,332 tonnes, according to January's traffic report. While freight transported on freighter aircraft was down by nearly 9% due to cargo-handling bottlenecks that continued to impact operations, belly cargo was up by nearly 30%, according to the report. January cargo volumes at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS), which ranked at No. 18, were nearly flat with January 2019 volumes at 122,553 tonnes, according to the latest traffic statistics from the airport. Meanwhile in the U.K., volumes at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) saw a 15.8% decrease to 111,037 tonnes. However, LHR posted an 18.4% increase compared with the same month in 2021.

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