Airports

Slot constraints and less freighter movements push freight to fall at Schiphol

Schiphol Cargo’s cargo volumes decreased year-on-year (YOY) by 2.7 per cent to 843,842 tonnes in the first half of the year as a fall in freigher movements and slot restrictions continue to impact traffic.

On a positive note in the six months from January to Jane, the airport saw a 2.3 per cent volume increase in belly volumes – as China and the US remain the strongest markets, and an extension of the network led to growth in Latin America.

In the first half of 2018, there was a 9.4 per cent decrease in freighter air transport movements and ongoing restrictions on slot availability at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Director aviation marketing, cargo and customer experience, Maaike van der Windt said: “The mid-year figures reflect our expectations for a decrease in overall freighter ATMs as we continue to face capacity constraints.

“However, the increase in belly volume is a positive development for Schiphol Cargo due to a slight growth in passenger flights since last year, and an expanded network across Latin America.

“Shanghai remains our main destination through the continued increase in e-Commerce in China, reaching more than 31,000 tonnes in the first six months of 2018, followed by the US with more than 22,000 tonnes.”

Despite the increase in e-commerce, the Asian inbound market was down by two per cent to 147,122 tonnes, while outbound decreased by three per cent to 150,623 tonnes.

European figures show a seven per cent inbound decline to 55,821 tonnes, compared to the same period last year, and outbound was down by 4 per cent to 59,452 tonnes.

The North American market saw an 11 per cent inbound downfall to 64,768 tonnes, and a decrease in outbound cargo of four per cent to 79,055 tonnes.

The Latin American market shows positive growth due to a network extension on the continent with inbound cargo up nine per cent to 65,255 tonnes, and a 15 per cent increase in outbound cargo to 40,445 tonnes.

The African markets showed positive outbound results with a seven per cent increase in cargo to 26,674 tonnes, while inbound cargo decreased by five per cent to 56,733 tonnes.

The Middle Eastern region went down by two per cent (inbound), and 11 per cent (outbound) to respectively 42,666 and 55,218 tonnes.

Van der Windt added: “Although Schiphol is facing slot constraints, we are geared towards maintaining cargo volume in the years to come.”

Share
.