Mid-year cargo volumes at Schiphol airport down by 9.2% to 767,519 tons

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AAS) has announced total cargo volume decreased by 9.2 percent to 767,519 tons, compared with 2018, but total belly cargo volume increased by 0.9 per cent, following the release of the mid-year figures.

Full freighter cargo volumes were down by 16.4 percent, with a decrease of full freighter air transport movements (ATMs) by 14.4 percent, but total belly cargo ATMs increased by 3.3 percent.

The figures show that Shanghai, China, remains the main destination for AAS, reaching 88,481 tons in the first six months of 2019, despite the ongoing trade tensions with the US, followed by Moscow, Russia, with 38,633 tons.

“The mid-year figures reflect our expectations for a decrease in overall freighter volume as we continue to face slot scarcity, on top of a weakening of the global air cargo market,” said Bart Pouwels, Head of Cargo, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

“As a mainport for the Netherlands, we are concerned about the negative developments within the air cargo market and the consequences it has for the overall network of our airlines at Schiphol.

“With a decrease of full freighters, we may become less attractive for freight forwarders, as the forwarders need a mix of full freight and belly cargo to operate sustainably.

“This may result in forwarders leaving Schiphol and the airport becoming less attractive for airlines as belly cargo contributes significantly to certain routes.

“So, the consequence may be that the network may be impacted as well.

“We are keen to maintain our network of destinations for which we need to keep our cargo volumes at a sustainable level.”

The mid-year figures revealed a decrease in volumes across all markets; apart from small increases in North America outbound and the Middle East inbound.

The Asian inbound market was down by 10 percent to 131,725 tons, and outbound decreased by 13 percent to 130,520 tons.

European figures show a 15 percent inbound decline to 47,493 tons, compared to the same period last year, and outbound was down by 8 percent to 54,756 tons.

The North American market saw a 13 percent inbound decrease to 56,314 tons, and an increase in outbound cargo of 4 per cent to 82,242 tons.

The Latin American market showed negative growth with inbound cargo down 10 percent to 58,666 tons, and an 8 per cent decrease in outbound cargo to 37,184 tons.

The African market showed negative outbound results with a 4 percent decrease in cargo to 25,489 tons, while inbound cargo decreased by 20 percent to 46,518 tons.

The Middle Eastern region went up by 5 percent (inbound) but declined 6 percent (outbound) to respectively 44,603 and 52,008 tons.