Top 50 Cargo Airports: High volumes amid global turmoil showcase 2021’s shining stars

Surging demand for e-commerce, personal protective equipment (PPE), pharma and health care shipments are just a few of the drivers that pushed cargo airports to their limits in 2021. Although the airfreight industry still felt the impact of 2020's pandemic-related challenges — such as trade tensions, capacity constraints and congested ports — 2021 saw the peak of peaks, major backlogs at cargo gateways and overall elevated cargo activity that boosted volumes across most major airports. Despite ongoing challenges and supply chain disruptions, airports around the globe performed well in 2021, with an overall 19.3% year-over-year increase in total handled cargo tonnage. Air Cargo World ’s rankings of the world’s Top 50 Cargo Airports for 2021 are based on our own research and the latest Annual World Airport Traffic Report (WATR) released by Airports Council International (ACI). It features some rising stars as well as many airports that have previously graced the annual rankings. Five new entrants entered the Top 50 list, including Istanbul International Airport (IST) at No. 39, and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) in Indonesia at No. 45. IST and CGK handled roughly 772,602 and 702,939 tonnes of cargo in 2021, respectively, ACI reported. With health care shipments and e-commerce as major drivers, 2021 showcased high volumes amid global disruptions, capacity crunches and other supply chain challenges. In turn, airports eyed physical expansions , investments in digital infrastructure and increased connectivity to help alleviate stressed gateways, displaying that amid a world still in chaos, the show must go on. Best in show Despite being briefly dethroned from its No. 1 spot in 2020 , Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) reclaimed its leading role in 2021, exceeding 5 million tonnes of cargo, up 12.5% YoY. HKG not only exceeded the 4.8 million tonnes reported pre-pandemic in 2019, but cargo flights hit a record of 82,515 flights, according to a Jan. 25 release from the airport. HKG saw especially strong volumes from peak cargo demand in November 2021, recording 478,000 tonnes of cargo, according to a December 2021 release. The airport attributed the overall 10.1% YoY increase to a 16.1% YoY increase in transshipments, while cargo to and from Europe, Southeast Asia and North America also saw significant increases that same month. Many cargo stakeholders looked to increase connectivity to and from HKG throughout 2021, including Saudia Cargo, which in May 2021 added three additional passenger freighter frequencies from the airport to meet surging e-commerce demand. Other stakeholders that increased their frequencies or launched new flights to and from HKG include forwarder Kintetsu World Express HK , Raya Airways and Kerry Logistics , among others. Meanwhile, Memphis International Airport (MEM) in the U.S. fell to No. 2 in the Top 50 list, recording a mere 2.9% YoY drop in volumes to nearly 4.5 million tonnes of cargo in 2021. FedEx operates more than 34 million square feet of space at MEM, handling more than 180,000 packages and 245,000 documents per hour, according to the airport’s website. On average, FedEx operates roughly 400 flights to and from the airport daily, according to flight tracking software. Fellow express operator UPS also holds a significant presence at MEM . UPS’ campus is approximately 134 acres with roughly 291,000 square feet in warehouse and facilities, according to MEM’s website. Asia-Pacific Contrary to the YoY drops in 2020 throughput, airports in the Asia-Pacific regions saw boosts in volumes in 2021, with listed airports recording a 19% YoY average increase in tonnage. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) maintained its No. 3 spot with nearly 4 million tonnes of cargo in 2021, up 8% YoY. Meanwhile Narita International Airport (NRT) in Japan jumped two spots to No. 9, recording a 31.1% YoY increase in throughput to roughly 2.64 million tonnes in 2021. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) also posted a significant increase in tonnage despite maintaining its spot at No. 17. In 2021 SIN handled around 1.95 million tonnes of cargo, up 26.4% YoY. High-tech shipments are currently major drivers of airfreight demand at SIN, along with pharmaceuticals and e-commerce, Lim Ching Kiat, managing director of air hub development at Changi Airport Group, told Air Cargo World . “Over the past two years, Changi welcomed seven new scheduled freighter operators — Atlas Air, Kalitta Air, SF Airlines, Turkish Cargo, YTO Cargo Airlines, SpiceXpress and Tasman Cargo Airlines,” Ching Kiat said. “These new carriers enhance our capacity and connectivity to long-haul markets [like Europe and the U.S.] and key [Asia-Pacific] markets [like] China, India and Australia. In December 2021, our weekly cargo flights more than tripled to over 970 as compared to pre-COVID-19 levels in December 2019.” Looking forward, SIN aims to increase its handling capacities from 3 million tonnes per year to 5.4 million tonnes with its Changi East Development and remodeled Changi Airfreight Center, Ching Kiat told Air Cargo World . The Changi East Development includes a new terminal, three-runway system and the Changi East Industrial Zone (CEIZ). Like many other airports, e-commerce played a part in SIN’s increase in volumes . In 2021 specifically, Singapore saw high demand for e-commerce shipments from Malaysia . In fact, volumes at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) saw a 25.2% YoY increase, reporting roughly 652,596 tonnes of cargo in 2021. KUL ranked No. 49 on Air Cargo World ’s list. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO) and Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Vietnam all saw drops in ranking despite seeing growth in annual throughput, dropping three, six and four spots, respectively, to Nos. 25, 44 and 48. Meanwhile airports in India did well in 2021 as the country continues to see burgeoning cargo growth, especially in regard to express shipments . Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi, for instance, jumped five spots to No. 30 and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM) moved up three spots to No. 38. DEL and BOM recorded around 948,000 and 777,000 tonnes of cargo in 2021, respectively, up 27.5% and 28.1% YoY. EMEA Airports based in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region performed well in 2021, with most airports maintaining their previous rankings on the Top 50 list. EMEA was home to three newcomers on the annual list, including Brussels Airport (BRU), which ranked at No. 46. Tonnage was up 30.6% YoY, with the airport handling 668,110 tonnes of cargo in 2021 with e-commerce, perishables and live animals as the main cargo drivers, Geer Aerts, director of cargo and logistics at BRU, told Air Cargo World . “As an airport, we have focused our investments [and] strategy around our resources, but also worked with the community around Brussels — the airlines, handlers, forwarders — [toward] a common goal and a common strategy,” Aerts said. Those strategies include investments in growth development, processes, accreditation, process improvements and infrastructure, including digital infrastructure and cold-chain technology, he added. “What made the big change in 2021 was obviously the COVID-19 situation which positioned us right in the spot where we are specialized, specifically pharmaceuticals,” Nathan De Valck, head of cargo at BRU, told Air Cargo World . “A lot of vaccine shipments passed through Brussels … . So [our] highly specialized, integrated cool chain [was] a complete guarantee to the shipper that product will be handled with the necessary care in the right type of infrastructure with the right traceability.” To date, BRU has handled 1.4 billion COVID-19 vaccines. BRU’s biggest freighter operators include Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways, as well as passenger carriers Brussels Airlines and Singapore Airlines, De Valck said. Germany’s Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN) was also a newcomer to the Top 50 list, reporting a 10.2% YoY increase at 256,864 tonnes of cargo in 2021 despite filing for bankruptcy in October 2021 . The growth in airfreight tonnage was attributed to new routes and increasing demand for e-commerce — which influenced about half of the growth — and medical and automotive goods, HHN Chief Executive Rudiger Franke said on behalf of the airport’s insolvency administrator. Franke further noted that Azerbaijan-based cargo carrier Silk Way West and Magma Aviation transported the most cargo at HHN in 2021. HHN ranked at No. 50. Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) was also a new entrant to the Top 50 list at 747,242 tonnes of cargo in 2021, up 44.6% YoY. Other notable airports on the list include Liege Airport (LGG), which moved up one spot to No. 23. LGG saw a roughly 26.8% YoY increase in cargo, handling 1,412,206 tonnes of cargo in 2021. The airport’s handled tonnage has been climbing over the past few years, with 2021 shipments being driven by an increase in e-commerce and health care-related cargo, Christian Delcourt, communications manager at LGG, told Air Cargo World . Pharma, general cargo and perishables also drove cargo demand at the airport, he added. Two new warehouses were built in LGG’s north area on behalf of WFS — which handles more than 220,000 tonnes annually at the airport — and Challenge Handling, according to Delcourt. Cainiao also opened its 30,000-square-meter hub at LGG in late 2021. Although FedEx/ASL, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Challenge Airlines and Saudi transported the most cargo in 2021, LGG saw increased tonnages from Air Belgium, Magma Aviation, Aerotranscargo, ACT Airlines and Amerijet International, Delcourt said. Ataturk International Airport (ISL) was the only EMEA airport to have a significant change in ranking, dropping four spots to No. 36 and handling 826,338 tonnes of cargo in 2021, up 1.9% YoY. The airport’s cargo performance was most likely impacted by Turkish Cargo slowly moving its cargo operations to its new hub at Istanbul International Airport (IST), which began in 2019. The carrier finally completed its move away from ISL to IST in February 2022 . Americas Nearly all ranking airports in the Americas saw increases in tonnage in 2021. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) in Alaska, for instance, maintained its spot at No. 4, handling 3.5 million tonnes of cargo, up 12.6% YoY. Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), UPS’ hub, dropped one spot to No. 6, reporting a 4.6% YoY increase to 3.05 million tonnes of cargo in 2021. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York saw the most significant change in ranking, climbing three spots to No. 22. In 2021 the airport handled 1.46 million tonnes of cargo, up 32.3% YoY. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) also saw a significant YoY increase of 22.6%, managing roughly 666,573 tonnes of cargo throughput in 2021. ATL ranked at No. 47. Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) also did well in 2021 with volumes up 26.7% YoY to 2.5 million tonnes of cargo. ORD jumped one spot in the rankings to No. 11. Meanwhile on the West Coast, Ontario International Airport (ONT) in California dropped five places to No. 34 following a 3.7% decline, handling around 890,383 tonnes of cargo in 2021. Despite the slight dip, volumes at ONT have grown significantly over the past few years, with UPS, FedEx and Amazon among the express players that have invested in operations at the airport. In late 2020 FedEx nearly tripled its capacity at ONT with a 251,000-square-foot operations center, Steve Lambert, public information officer at ONT, told Air Cargo World . He further noted that ONT has received more than $30 million in grants to improve runways and taxiways to support a more efficient flow of cargo to and from the airport. While e-commerce and PPE were large drivers of demand, especially in 2020, “As 2021 progressed, [PPE] demand slowed. Even so, the growth in e-commerce is something we’re confident will continue to drive ONT’s cargo business for many years to come,” Lambert said. In Latin America, Bogota-El Dorado National Airport (BOG) saw a 24.4% YoY increase in throughput, transporting around 741,809 tonnes of cargo in 2021. View the complete ranking of Top 50 Cargo Airports, based on 2021 throughput.

Top 50 Cargo Airports: High volumes amid global turmoil showcase 2021’s shining stars

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