Amsterdam Airport Schiphol shows modest cargo growth over 2010

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol ended 2011 with a growth of 0.8% in cargo handled, compared to 2010. The total of all cargo processed through Schiphol was 1,523,806 – retaining its third place among Europe’s cargo airports, and its 13.9% market share among the top 10.

Schiphol showed cargo growth in five months of 2011, but saw declines of up to 7.2% in the other seven months. Overall figures for five of the six world regions were positive, with growth ranging from +3% (Central and South America) to 33% (Europe) compared to 2010.

Highlights were North American imports (up 13.3% at 136,065 tonnes), exports to Central and South America (up 9.4% at 83.941 tonnes) and exports to the Middle East (108,770 tonnes, up 15,2%). Figures for Europe were also positive, but were distorted by the re-categorisation of Air Bridge as a European carrier mid-year.

However, in a trend that had been growing throughout 2011, it was the Far East which held back Schiphol’s otherwise strong results, with 286,769 tonnes of exports (-7,3%) and 322,843 tonnes of imports (-12,9%) making a total of 609,613 tonnes (-10,4%).

Full freighter flights grew 2.1% year on year, to reach a total of 15,928 for the year. Assisted by newcomers Saudi, Centurion and Etihad, and with additional flights by Air Bridge, freighters carried a 58% share (882,412 tonnes) of all cargo through the airport – up 2.3% on 2010. But December saw a drop of 4.1% in freighter movements, resulting from the suspension of Jade’s 14 flights per week, and a number of ad hoc charters in the previous year which were not repeated.

Says Schiphol Cargo Senior VP Enno Osinga: “2011 began promisingly, but very soon revealed itself as a challenging year for the industry. We take some comfort from the fact that we have still managed to show growth over 2010, and that ours was the only positive result among Europe’s top 3 cargo gateways.

“It is also good to see that the gap between imports and exports is gradually closing, which is good news for our carriers and our forwarding community. But it’s clear that inbound traffic from the Far East is soft, and likely to remain so for a while. As the Far East is our largest market and accounts for some 40% of our total tonnages, even modest falls in its traffic are difficult to offset with growth in other markets.”

He continues: “Our emphasis for 2012 will be on attracting more export business and facilitating trade lane and commodity traffic development. With a weak Euro and growing consumer spending in many markets outside Europe, we hope to pave the way for a return to stronger overall growth. Meanwhile we continue with our various investments, initiatives and partnerships, all aiming at reinforcing Schiphol’s position as the preferred cargo gateway for Europe.”