Schiphol H1 figures show uptick in belly volume and decline in freighter volume

Aug 03, 2018: Schiphol airport, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, has reported uptick in belly volume and decline in full freighter volume in the first six months of 2018.

The airport has reported a 2.3 percent volume increase in belly cargo figures, as China and the US remain the strongest markets, and an extension of the network leads to growth in Latin America.

On the other hand, overall freighter volume has decreased by 2.7 percent to 843,832 tonnes, compared with 2017, due to a 9.4 percent decrease in full freighter air transport movements (ATMs) and the ongoing restrictions on slot availability.

“The mid-year figures reflect our expectations for a decrease in overall freighter ATMs as we continue to face capacity constraints,” said Maaike van der Windt, director Aviation Marketing, Cargo and Customer Experience (ACC).

“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 2 percent to 147,122 tonnes, while outbound decreased by 3 percent to 150,623 tonnes.

European figures show a 7 percent inbound decline to 55,821 tonnes, compared to the same period last year, and outbound was down by 4 percent to 59,452 tonnes.

The North American market saw an 11 percent inbound downfall to 64,768 tonnes, and a decrease in outbound cargo of 4 percent to 79,055 tonnes.

The Latin American market shows positive growth due to a network extension on the continent with inbound cargo up 9 percent to 65,255 tonnes, and a 15 percent increase in outbound cargo to 40,445 tonnes.

The African markets showed positive outbound results with a 7 percent increase in cargo to 26,674 tonnes, while inbound cargo decreased by 5 per cent to 56,733 tonnes.

The Middle Eastern region went down by 2 percent (inbound), and 11 percent (outbound) to respectively 42,666 and 55,218 tonnes.