CoverINT 9/21/07 2:42 PM Page 1
WWW.AIRCARGOWORLD.COM
OCTOBER 2007 INTERNATIONAL EDITION
2007World Airports Guide
Europe Airports • Russia • DHL-Lufthansa Project1 9/17/07 10:38 AM Page 1 01TOCINT 9/21/07 2:41 PM Page 1
INTERNATIONAL EDITION
October 2007 CONTENTS Volume 10, Number 8 COLUMNS Airports 10 North America Directory Two issues before the U.S. The Air Cargo World Congress are consuming air 37 2007 World Airports Directo- cargo interests: air cargo securi- ry features U.S. airports by ty and reauthorization of the state as well as section list- FAA budget ing airports in Europe, Asia and elsewhere 13 Europe Re-fleeting, partnerships and new routes are part of the growth plan for Italian cargo carrier Ocean Airlines 16 Pacific While the parent company Europe expands operations, Singapore Airports Air Cargo concentrates on ca- pacity management and joint 18 Several secondary airport ventures to maintain profitability hubs in Europe are making a case for cargo beyond the continent’s more familiar gateways.
DEPARTMENTS
2 Edit Note Russia 4 News Updates Power 26 The Russia air cargo in- 68 People dustry is growing, but Sovi- 70 Bottom Line et-era bureaucracy is hold- 72 Events ing back its full potential
WWW.aircargoworld.com
Air Cargo World (ISSN 0745-5100) is published monthly by Commonwealth Business Media. Editorial and production offices are at 1270 National Press Building, Washington, DC, 20045. Telephone: (202) 355-1172. Air Cargo World is a registered trademark of Commonwealth Business Media. ©2007. Periodicals postage paid at Newark, NJ and at additional mailing offices. Subscription rates: 1 year, $58; 2 year $92; outside USA surface mail/1 year $78; 2 year $132; outside US air mail/1 year $118; 2 year $212. Single copies $10. Express Delivery Guide, Carrier Guide, Freight Forwarder Directory and Airport Directory single copies $14.95 domestic; $21.95 overseas. Microfilm copies are available from University Microfilms, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Opinions expressed by authors and contributors are not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. Articles may not be reproduced in whole or part without the express written permission of the publisher. Air Cargo World is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Please enclose a self- addressed envelope to guarantee that materials will be returned. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Air Cargo World, provided the base fee of $3 per page is paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, and provided the number of copies is less than 100. For authorization, contact CCC at (508) 750-8400. The Transactional Reporting Service fee code is: 0745-5100/96/$3.00. For those seeking 100 or more copies, please contact the magazine directly. POSTMASTER and subscriber services: Call or write to Air Cargo World, Customer Care Department, 400 Windsor Corporate Park, 50 Millstone Rd., Suite 200, East Windsor, NJ 08520-1415; telephone (888) 215-6084
October 2007 AirCargoWorld 1 02EditorialINT 9/21/07 2:44 PM Page 2
International Trends & Analysis Editor’s Note Editor Paul Page • [email protected] Managing Editor Robert Moorman • [email protected] Contributing Editors Roger Turney, Ian Putzger, Mike Seemuth Art & Production Director Jay Sevidal • [email protected] Editorial Offices 1270 National Press Bldg., Washington, DC 20045 (202) 355-1170 • Fax: (202) 355-1171
PUBLISHER Doctor Data Steve Prince • (770) 642-9170 • [email protected] he air cargo industry seems to be in a deep funk over its ris-
ing direct operating costs and the insistence by some mem- Advertising/Business Office bers of the U.S. Congress that every piece of belly cargo on 1080 Holcomb Bridge Rd. • Roswell Summit T Building 200, Suite 255 • Roswell, GA 30076 U.S. airliners be inspected individually, not screened. (770) 642-9170 • Fax: (770) 642-9982 Even industry lobbyists, who could always be counted upon to cheer up Classified Advertising and Reprints the team, have misplaced their glad hands. Some in air cargo indicate Laura Rickman • [email protected] (770) 642-8036 they’re considering the unthinkable — going to work for businesses where International Advertising Offices morale is high and yields are higher. Something has got to be done before China Japan Beijing Office Masami Shimazaki the therapists take over. Nancy Sun (Sun Junqin) +81-42-372-2769 [email protected] [email protected] Fear not, the situation is not that bad. A healthy dose of air cargo data is all ++86 10 5879 5885 Thailand Shanghai Office that is required to calm the troubled spirit. Chower Narula Isabella Hou (Hou Ying) +66-2-641-26938 Consider this potent Rx from Boeing Commercial Airplanes. In spite of [email protected] [email protected] ++86 (21) 5116 8877 high jet fuel prices, air cargo traffic has climbed in most sectors over the past Guangzhou Ofiice Taiwan Abby Mao (Mao Xiaolin) Ye Chang two years. Overall growth, in revenue tonne kilometers, will [email protected] +886 2-2378-2471 average around 6.1 percent annually over the next 20 years, ++86 20-8732 2965 [email protected] Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand “with routes in Asian markets experiencing above-average Middle East Fergus Maclagan David Collison +61-2-9460-4560 growth rates,” Boeing projects. More impressive, perhaps, is +44 192-381-7731 [email protected] [email protected] that air cargo traffic growth will outpace the passenger market Korea Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mr. Jung-won Suh in nearly every major world market over the next 20 years. Singapore +82-2-3275-5969 Joseph Yap [email protected] Feel better? Perhaps a second opinion would be prudent. +65-6-337-6996 [email protected] The Air Transport Association said in a recent economic re-
port that cargo revenue among U.S. air cargo carriers rose 8.9 Administrative Assistant percent in 2006 to $22.5 billion on 9 percent greater domestic Susan Addy • [email protected] Display Advertising Traffic Coordinator sales and 8.8 percent more international business. The avia- Tracey Fiuza • [email protected] tion sector in 2006 transported 32.4 percent of U.S. export value, “again sur- (973) 848-7106 Electronic Rights and Syndication passing maritime, trucking rail and pipeline,” ATA said. Barbara Ross • [email protected] (973) 848-7186 This pick-me-up comes from the International Air Transport Association, which predicts that 2008 will be the best year for cargo traffic since 2000, with CUSTOMER SERVICE OR TO SUBSCRIBE: (888) 215-6084 43.5 million FTKs. Costs continue to rise, but so too does business, if these recent reports are accurate. Projected growth in China, India and the Middle East will help make these rising costs manageable. Worry not about those who now want to tinker with the air cargo security 400 Windsor Corporate Park 50 Millstone Rd., Suite 200 • East Windsor, NJ 08520-1415 law, which they once supported enthusiastically. Let them play on the pub- (609) 371-7700 • (800) 221-5488 lic’s worst fears regarding air cargo security. In time, the public will realize President and CEO Alan Glass these concerns are an exercise in political self-aggrandizement. Senior Vice President, CFO Dana Price Vice President, Magazine Group Peter Tirschwell There will be considerable debate in coming weeks on the value of inspect- President, PIERS Brendan McCahill ing versus screening the freight. The issue will be resolved eventually and in Vice President, Directory Databases Amy Middlebrook three years all cargo carried in the holds of airliners will be either screened or Vice President, Human Resources Kenneth P. Slivken Vice President, inspected. Higher costs for carriers, and for shippers, will be the end result. Production & Manufacturing Meg Palladino But, before your mood sours at this prospect, reach for the data and you’re Director of Circulation John Wengler President, BACK Aviation Steven G. Casley likely to feel better. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: Air Cargo World, 400 Windsor Corporate Park, 50 Millstone Road, Suite 200, East Windsor, NJ 08520-1415.© 2007 Commonwealth Business Media Inc. — All Rights Reserved For more information visit our website at www.aircargoworld.com
2 AirCargoWorld Ocotber 2007 Project1 9/17/07 11:27 AM Page 1 04NewsUpdateINT 9/21/07 2:05 PM Page 4
UpdatesNews
DHL. Lufthansa Cargo Chairman Carsten Spohr said joint use of aircraft “will enable us to harness growth op- portunities cost-efficiently.” Flight operations for the still-un- named carrier are scheduled for April 2009, with an initial fleet of 11 new 777-200 freighters. Delivery of the leased aircraft is scheduled for Febru- ary 2009. Once granted traffic rights, the new airline initially will serve nine cities, including Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul. On weekends, the carrier will fly to eight cities, in- cluding, Chicago and New York. Flying China hina will require 3,400 new air- Integrating New Combinations Cplanes worth around $340 bil- he plan by Lufthansa Cargo and DHL to form a joint cargo lion over the next 20 years, accord- airline marks the closest alignment yet between an inte- ing to Boeing’s updated Current grator and a combination airline. With the launch, the two Market Outlook. Tpartners expand significantly their position in air freight With the continued high growth and express business in Asia and elsewhere. rate for China air travel and air cargo Although the new airline will focus primarily only on moving freight in markets, China’s fleet will nearly and out of Asia, the 50/50 joint venture suggests a far larger strategic reach for quadruple to 4,460 airplanes by the both companies, which have a history of forming partnerships with other air- end of the forecast period, 2026. Chi- lines to provide lift and freight. nese air carriers will add about 300 Long focused on intense use of common carriage, DHL recently has been freighters by 2026, quadrupling the stepping up its control of lift with purchases such as its 49 percent equity size of the all-cargo fleet. stake in Polar Air Cargo. Lufthansa, meanwhile, has a 25 percent stake in “China’s domestic frequencies Shenzhen-based Jade Cargo International, part of Lufthansa’s attempt to tap have increased more than 16-fold into the huge flow of exports out of China. since 1990 while airplane sizes have “In time, you could find that this is an indication that DHL wants to con- remained about the same,” said trol and have its own dedicated capacity to fly around the globe, the way UPS Randy Tinseth, vice president, mar- and FedEx have a network of planes,” said Satish Jindel, president of the SJ keting for Boeing Commercial Air- Consulting Group. planes. “The Chinese domestic mar- The business, using 777 freighters, will operate out of the Leipzig/Halle Air- ket’s projected average growth is al- port in the East of Germany. DHL said it will accelerate for customers delivery most 9 percent.” times for goods between Asia and Europe, with this partnership. Tinseth said the current trend of But it also may add airlift on yield-troubled lanes that some carriers say al- more frequencies and nonstop ready are laden with too much capacity. Tying up with an integrated carrier flights will continue to fuel this may help solve that problem for Lufthansa, allowing the carrier to combine its growth in China through sales of industrial freight business with the higher-yield express traffic DHL will draw. single-aisle aircraft such as the 737. The joint venture also will “strengthen Germany’s position as a logistics When combined, the single-aisle and base,” said Klaus Zumwinkel, chairman of Deutsche Post World Net, parent of intermediate twin-aisle market will
4 AirCargoWorld October 2007 04NewsUpdateINT 9/21/07 2:05 PM Page 5
News Updates
Projected average annual growth of cargo markets, 2005-2025 Europe and North “Tom is an extraordinarily capable Domestic China America, and also in- executive and is joining cargo at a China creasingly in Asia,” pivotal time for the business,” said China-North America said Doughty. Neal Cohen, executive vice president Intra-Asia Most of those planes, for international strategy. “He will Asia-North America he said, would be con- be tasked with leading a number of Europe-Asia verted passenger aircraft. critical cargo initiatives.” Europe-Southwest Asia The major obstacle Northwest didn’t suggest what Latin America-North America to adding regional those initiatives are, but the carrier Europe-Latin America freighters, said has been looking at its fleet of older Europe-North America Doughty, are regula- 747-200 freighters as competition Europe-Africa tions surrounding ag- from young airlines with newer Intra-Europe ing aircraft, plus the fleets has grown in Northwest’s Europe-Middle East congestion at key hubs. foundation Asia markets. North America Another problem in NWA Cargo recently launched an 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% Asia is the lack of express trucking service between Source: Boeing equipment. The re- Hong Kong and Guangzhou as part gional freighter fleet in of the carrier’s aggressive long-term make up 90 percent of China’s total Asia is only around 80 aircraft, while plan to restructure its Asian network delivery dollars, said Boeing. Some some 450 regional aircraft are oper- as well as a move to expedite ser- 330 regional jets and 90 747-and- ating in Europe. vice between the two points. larger sized aircraft will be delivered Not surprisingly, BAE Systems Re- The cargo industry, meanwhile, to China during the forecast period. gional Aircraft has re-launched the 146 loses one of its most vocal and influ- Elsewhere, things are looking up Quiet Trader freighter program to help ential advocates for electronic com- for Western-made aircraft. At the Air meet the need for regional freighters. munications and booking. A former Cargo Europe conference this sum- management consultant who led mer, Boeing said Russia will need Northwest NWA Cargo for 11 years, Friedel was 1,060 new mid-size and widebody jet a strong supporter of the industry’s aircraft over the next 20 years. Switch e-freight initiative and one of the dri- orthwest Airlines is hinting at vers behind the multi-airline plat- Feeding Asia Nbig changes in its cargo opera- form Cargo Portal System. tions as it makes big changes in its At the same time, he oversaw a egional aircraft manufacturers are leadership. diminishing role for Northwest in Rcounting on Asia markets for a In a major management shuffle fol- the cargo industry as the carrier big piece of the future market for lowing its bankruptcy restructuring, scaled back capacity under bank- small freighters. Northwest promoted cargo chief Jim ruptcy protection. Speaking at the Air Freight Asia Friedel into the airline’s overall lead- Conference in Hong Kong last ership in the new position of senior Buying Atlas month, Steve Doughty, vice president vice president of strategic planning. sales and marketing for BAE Systems Northwest shifted Tom Bach, who early everyone wants a piece of Regional Aircraft said regional aircraft had been vice president for network NAtlas Air Worldwide Holdings will play an integral role as consumer planning and revenue management these days — or a bigger piece of demand grows in Asian economies, to Friedel’s position as president of the pie. leading to expansion of domestic NWA Cargo. The posting puts the Harbinger Capital Partners Special freight feeder networks. 24-year veteran of Northwest’s pas- Situations Fund, one of two principle “We believe that such feed is most senger business in charge of the investment vehicles for the Birming- efficiently offered by smaller region- only significant freighter operation ham, Ala.-based Harbert Manage- al freighters up to 12 tonnes, both in among U.S. passenger carriers. ment, bought 450,000 shares of com-
October 2007 AirCargoWorld 5 04NewsUpdateINT 9/21/07 2:05 PM Page 6
News Updates
mon stock of AAWH, the parent of has been a major shareholder in investment capital from industry freighter operators Atlas Air and Polar AAWH since it emerged from bank- sources, as well. DHL took a 49 per- Air Cargo. This latest stock purchase ruptcy in late July 2004 and this is cent equity stake and 25 percent vot- gives Harbert, a 39.3 percent stake, or the first purchase since January 2007. ing interest in Polar this year. 8,389,690 shares in AAWH. “They continue to maintain a The ongoing business may be one Harbert declined to comment, but healthy investment position in the attraction, but AAWH’s airborne real sources familiar with the recent pur- company,” said Dan Loh, spokesman estate also draws interest. Besides op- chase said it’s unlikely the invest- for Atlas Air. “We’d like to think erating the world’s largest fleet of 747 ment management firm wants to take we’re a good investment.” freighters, the company has a $3.4 over the two-pronged business. Before the latest purchase, affiliat- billion order for 12 747-8 freighters A recent securities filing said the ed subsidiaries of Harbinger bought on the books. new purchase of the shares was “for 6.9 million shares of Atlas, roughly investment” purposes only. Harbert 35.5 percent. The airline has gotten Kitty Korner reighter operator Kitty Hawk is Fcoping with turmoil in its leader- ship as it copes with troubles in its core markets. Robert W. Zoller Jr., the Dallas- based airline’s former chief execu- tive, resigned from the carrier’s board last month as the financially troubled operator seeks “strategic alternatives.” Kitty Hawk said in a statement filed with the Securities and Ex- change Commission that Zoller’s resignation “was not because of a
6 AirCargoWorld October 2007 Project1 9/17/07 9:13 AM Page 1 04NewsUpdateINT 9/21/07 2:06 PM Page 8
News Updates
disagreement with the company or with newer, more fuel-efficient air- sion, succeeds Klaus Herms. Lange any matter relating to the compa- craft, and started a trucking opera- will assume his new post on June 30, ny’s operations … to the knowledge tion nearly two years ago to meet a 2009, when Herms retires after 40 of” Kitty Hawk’s executives. shift in business from air to cheaper years at the company. In the interim, Zoller, who had helped lead the ground transport. But the carrier lost Lange will maintain his current post Dallas-based domestic freighter oper- $19.8 million in the first six months as well as assume the position of ator out of bankruptcy protection a of this year. Deputy CEO. couple of years ago, resigned as pres- Lange began his career 36 years ago ident and CEO in April. He continues Lange Leads with Kuehne + Nagel in Bremen, Ger- to provide consulting services to the many. In 1985, Lange was transferred company, Kitty Hawk said, under a einhard Lange, new CEO of logis- to Hong Kong, where he developed contract running through next March. Rtics giant Kuehne + Nagel, inher- the sea freight business in the Asia Kitty Hawk’s new managers an- its a company with a strong balance Pacific regional. He returned to Ger- nounced in July they were seeking sheet and several profitable divisions, many in 1991 as a member of the na- new alternatives, suggesting a po- particularly contract logistics, which tional management board, where he tential sale. posted a 21.6 percent growth in rev- ran the sea freight unit. With a freighter network focused enue for the first half of 2007. Lange will run a four-tiered compa- mostly on forwarder business, the Lange, 56, who is currently respon- ny with 47,185 staff at 830 locations airline has sought to revamp its fleet sible for the sea and air logistics divi- in more than 100 countries. ■
In air cargo, non-standard consignments have become the norm. Whether it’s heavy, off-size or highly sensitive, you need an airline that will welcome the challenge. A uniform fleet of 747-400F with nose door, temperature control and main deck space as standard. A worldwide network and the capacity to operate charters to the remotest locations.
Cargolux is known for going out of its way to keep a forwarder’s promise. A flexibility that benefits your customers. Cargolux. Cargo First.
www.cargolux.com
Flexibility by Cargolux
Cargolux Airlines International S.A. Area Management Europe, Middle East & Africa Tel: +352 4211 3335/3216/3925 Fax: +352 4211 3692 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]
8 AirCargoWorld October 2007 Project6 8/15/07 9:22 AM Page 1 10RegionalsINT 9/21/07 1:17 PM Page 10
ReportsRegional
NORTH AMERICA Secure Funding Predicting what the U.S. Congress will do is a headache, but some issues are giving the industry a migraine
Security Committee and author of the cargo portion of the bill that imple- mented recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, was one of the first to comment on the report: “The Depart- ment’s own IG has confirmed con- cerns I have repeatedly raised about dangerous cargo security loopholes, including the failure of the TSA to en- sure that air carriers are complying with screening requirements and TSA’s reliance on paper records rather than physical examinations of cargo.” Of most concern to the industry is the retention of the certified shipper program. Markey and other members, how- ever, say the certified shipper pro- gram doesn’t meet the equivalency wo issues are consuming air cargo interests in Washington requirement and is simply a paper this fall: air cargo security and reauthorization of the bud- trail. They want every item of cargo get for the Federal Aviation Administration, which sets pri- inspected, just as passenger bags are. Torities for the U.S. aviation system for years to come. Despite passage of a landmark security-related bill requiring inspection of Certified Shipper all belly cargo on passenger airliners within three years, there remains concern on what exactly the law requires – physical inspection or screening – and Cargo industry executives say ba- whether the enhanced certified shipper program is an acceptable component sic, physical inspections would wipe of the screening process. away the entire apparatus of security A new dustup over air cargo security followed the release of a damning re- in favor of a dicey layer of screening port by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector Gen- at the last moment. eral, which criticized the Transportation Security Adminis- “If you’re going to in- By Robert Moorman tration for having too few cargo inspectors, vague regula- spect every box, what tions for screening cargo and an ineffective database to track violations. Since good is the known shipper pro- then, members of Congress have pummeled TSA for having an ineffective pro- gram?” said Steve Alterman, presi- gram to screen belly cargo. The report came a month after Congress required dent of the Cargo Airline Association. that TSA greatly improve cargo screening. Another problem for the industry Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., a senior member of the House Homeland seems to be the lack of guidance from
10 AirCargoWorld October 2007 10RegionalsINT 9/21/07 1:18 PM Page 11
ReportsRegional
the government. “The specific details $1.8 billion ADS-B contract to a group gress was likely to pass some tempo- of the certified shipper program have led by ITT. The two-part contract calls rary measure extending taxing and not been fully released by TSA,” said for full deployment of ADS-B by 2013, spending authority. Brandon Fried, executive director for but the program needs continued the U.S. Airforwarders Association. “Yet congressional approval. … Briefly members of Congress are already bash- “FAA reauthorization is so much ing the program before we have had more important this year because U.S. airlines’ cargo traffic edged up the opportunity to see it in action.” we’re proposing to shift to a cost-based 1.9 percent in July and the domestic The certified shipper program is one funding system to fund NextGen,” business was up 2.1 percent, according piece of the multilayered approach to said Daniel K. Elwell, the FAA’s assis- to the Air Transport Association cargo security, say industry experts, tant administrator for aviation policy, of America. The slight increase left which includes random physical in- planning and environment. the domestic business down 0.5 per- spection, X-rays, explosive detection Another program is the one-year cent through the first seven months systems, canines and intelligence. extension of war-risk insurance for air- of 2007 compared to last year — and Air cargo and logistics experts lines created following September 11. 3.4 percent behind the domestic cargo would like some cargo inspected off Action on FAA reauthorization was traffic the U.S. carriers counted in the airport, then sealed and loaded on air- expected this fall, but passage is un- same period in 2000. … Temperature- liners without delay. Such an ap- likely because Congress can’t agree on controlled container specialist Envi- proach, they say, will help the inspec- a new funding mechanism for the rotainer raised Air Canada to “key tion process run smoother. what the airlines call NextGen air partner” status based on the airline’s But industry groups believe politics traffic control and other programs. growing use of the cold chain services will trump common-sense logistics The FAA’s proposed user-fee pro- provider. … Forwarder UTi World- planning for cargo screening, resulting posal is dead, say, industry groups, be- wide’s net profit was down 15 per- in a cargo traffic jam at the airport, cause it is not taxed-based and won’t cent in the first six months of its fiscal causing additional flight delays. Oth- be fully controlled by Congress. FAA year, to $45.8 million, despite a 20 ers fear the 100 percent screening of says its proposal is not getting a posi- percent increase in gross revenue to cargo and the cost of complying with tive response largely because the gen- $1.99 billion. Air freight net revenue the law will cause the airlines to re- eral aviation community fought grew 14.6 percent over the first half of duce its belly cargo business or aban- against user fees. last year and air freight net yield grew don it altogether, providing a signifi- But there are other proposals. The slightly to 24.2 percent. … UPS cant revenue opportunity for all-cargo U.S. Senate has proposed a special launched a single-point-of-contact ser- carriers, particularly the integrators. fund for programs such as ADS-B and vice, UPS Express Critical, combining NextGen. Airlines and business avia- the company’s same-day and urgent Free Flight tion, mostly, would pay a $25 mod- shipping to better manage package ernization surcharge per operation, and heavy freight shipments together. Meantime, the industry awaits con- which could raise $400 million annu- … Atlantic Street Capital, a Stam- gressional action on the FAA reautho- ally. NextGen is estimated to cost $40 ford, Conn., private equity fund, ac- rization bill, which approves funding billion when built. quired Orlando, Fla.-based Ace Expe- for cherished programs and provides Another potential funding propos- diters. … The U.S. Postal Service a roadmap of sorts on how to proceed al, backed by the Air Transport Associ- reported a $659 million net loss in the with those programs. ation, is a passenger departure tax and fiscal third quarter ending June 30 de- Of particular concern to industry is a distance-rated fee. spite a 2.9 percent gain in revenue to the continued funding for an air traf- Whatever funding mechanism the $18.4 million. … Freight traffic at Los fic control modernization program House and Senate committees even- Angeles International Airport and automatic dependent surveil- tually approve, they need to act slipped 5.5 percent in June, leaving lance-broadcast system, a technology soon. The present ticket-tax-based cargo overall at the airport down 2.7 pioneered by UPS. funding mechanism was to have ex- percent in the first half of 2007 from In late August, FAA awarded the pired Sept. 30. In the interim, Con- the year before. ■
October 2007 AirCargoWorld 11 Project1 9/17/07 9:10 AM Page 1
speed up your business:
Looking for perfect cargo solutions? Then make the most of our pace-setting advantages: Central location in Southern Germany: · Around 1,700 tons of air cargo every day Short distances: All cargo services under a single roof · First-rate service: Efficient handling and outstanding flexibility · More capacity: Virtually unlimited capacity for the expansion of · cargo facilities “on airport”
www.munich-airport.com 10RegionalsINT 9/21/07 1:18 PM Page 13
ReportsRegional
EUROPE Dolce Vita Ocean Airlines has become a viable player in the cargo market by dealing from the top deck
he deal had to be one of the shrewdest in avia- tion history. Italian car- Tgo carrier Ocean Air- lines has just acquired six 747- 200 freighters for 30 percent lower per copy than current market value. Until now the Italian operator op- erated just two 747-200 freighters, which it acquired from Lufthansa Cargo. Since its inception three years ago, the carrier operated from its Brescia base in Northern Italy to Hong Kong and Shanghai. The sched- uled services provide around 65 per- cent of the airline’s revenues with the rest coming from charter operations. Ocean Airlines always had bigger plans. Pursuing those plans, the air- lays and the value of second-hand 747 freighters has climbed back again,” line struck a deal with Air France Car- said De Luca. go to purchase its outgoing fleet of Ocean Airlines recently took delivery of its first two ex-Air France freighters, six 747-200 freighters two years ago. with the remaining four aircraft to be delivered over the next six months. “The key factor was when we “It would be very easy for us to simply sell the aircraft,” said De Luca. struck this deal,” said By Roger Turney “We would make a profit of between 25 percent and 30 percent CEO Rossano De Luca. on the original deal.” “This was … when Air France Cargo Apart from the markup in book value, De Luca believes the Italian carrier got announced orders for 777 freighters a very good deal for the 747s. and was anxious to offload its 747 “All of these freighters are equipped with GE engines. Each engine is one freighters.” tonne lighter than other types, giving us an immediate four-tonne payload ad- At the time, the Airbus A380 and vantage,” he said. “They also have a 2,000-kilo-per-hour lower fuel burn than its freighter derivative represented other engine types.” the future, and the value of aging 747-200 freighters was beginning to Eastern Bound decline. “Since then, of course, the A380 Ocean Airlines is putting the 747-200 freighters into revenue service with [program] has been beset with de- the start up of twice-weekly service to Washington’s Dulles Airport, its first
October 2007 AirCargoWorld 13 10RegionalsINT 9/21/07 1:18 PM Page 14
ReportsRegional
U.S. market. De Luca said additional was president of Italian general sales golux picked the Telair cargo-load- service to either Miami or Houston is agent OpenSky Cargo, which acts as ing system for the lower deck and set to follow in the near future. European GSA for the airline. main deck of the 13 747-8 freighters “We have very close contacts with After management ousters in early the airline has ordered from Boeing. American Airlines and would like to 2006, which included then-CEO Telair says the system will use tech- develop this second service with Michael Meagher and Commercial nology beyond what the company them,” he said. Director Michele Useli, De Luca was has installed in its 747-400 loading Along with Washington, service is persuaded to take a more active role systems. Cargolux last month took its also being added to Nagoya, Abu in day-to-day operations. He assumed 15th 747-400 freighter from Boeing. Dhabi and to Luanda in Angola and the role of CEO a year ago. … Virgin Atlantic Airways saw its Nairobi in Kenya. OpenSky Cargo has since been ac- freight traffic jump 25.8 percent in The Luanda and Nairobi service quired by Ocean Airlines, effectively July, making it the fastest-growing air- will be operated with TAAG Angola becoming the airline’s in-house sales line for cargo among European carri- Airlines and Kenya Airways. “TAAG is operation. ers. Virgin’s freight traffic grew 12.8 currently banned from European skies The next challenge is to seek an percent in the first seven months of for safety violations, so this is a useful Initial Public Offering of its stock on this year. … FedEx Express stepped way for them to maintain a presence the London Stock Exchange’s AIM up its capacity between the United in the market,” said De Luca. market. But even there, Ocean Air- Kingdom and United States by 50 per- Ocean Airlines does not expect to lines says it is all about timing the cent with a daily MD-11 freighter add more destinations after it has re- deal correctly. flight between Manchester and Mem- ceived its full complement of eight “We were going to do it during the phis, a flight originating at the carri- 747 freighters. summer, but the volatility of the er’s main European hub in Paris. … “We are very much following the stock markets have forced us to delay Cargo traffic at the Air France/KLM Cargolux model in that respect, “ said for a couple of months,“ said De Luca. group jumped 7.1 percent in August, De Luca. “We expect to operate to no more than twice the 3.2 percent gain more than 12 destinations with eight … Briefly in capacity, including a 12.4 percent aircraft, with the intention of adding gain in Asia-Pacific freight tonne-kilo- extra service to existing routes.” Freight traffic for European airlines meters. Traffic for the airline group grew 4 percent in July following 4.8 was up 3.7 percent in the first eight Balanced Trade percent in June, the first time the car- months of 2007 over the same period riers have seen business expand at last year. … Lufthansa Cargo sub- De Luca said he also wants to re- least 4 percent for two straight sidiary time:matters took over the vise the current balance between months since 2005. Freight was up handling operations at the express scheduled and charter work to an 80 2.2 percent in the first seven months and courier center at Frankfurt Air- percent, 20 percent ratio. of 2007 over the same period last port from Fraport Cargo Services. “We now feel we have the support year, according to the Association … Russia’s Atlant-Soyuz took deliv- of the Italian market to allow us to de- of European Airlines, although air ery of the first of five IL-96-400T velop to our full potential,” he said. trade with Asia was down 0.7 percent. freighters it is leasing in and named That was not always the case. … A Swiss court convicted four man- EasternAirCargo, a German freight “When we first started, the Italian agers of the private air traffic control broker, as its cargo general sales agent forwarders and service providers re- company Skyguide of manslaughter in Germany and Luxembourg. The fused to provide us with any traffic, in the 2002 mid-air collision of a airline will use the cargo plane on a because they did not trust us with DHL 757 freighter and a Russian pas- Leipzig-Moscow-Nanjing-Leipzig their business,” said De Luca. “It has senger charter aircraft. Seventy-one route. … AirBridge Cargo started taken time to win their respect.” people died in the collision, including weekly 747-400 freighter service be- De Luca can take some credit for both DHL pilots and 45 children on tween Moscow and Tokyo and said it that turnaround. He’s been with the the Russian plane who were on their may upgrade the frequencies next carrier since its inception, but earlier way to a holiday in Spain. … Car- year. … SAS Cargo, saying it has
14 AirCargoWorld October 2007 10RegionalsINT 9/21/07 1:18 PM Page 15
ReportsRegional
been forced to turn away customers furt Airport grew 4.6 percent in Au- A330-200 freighters to add to its fleet because of tight handling capacity in gust over the same month a year ago, of seven A300-B4 freighters. … Bel- Gothenburg, Sweden, is doubling its although it declined slightly from gium-based Cargo B Airlines signed terminal space there under an agree- July. Through the first eight months a five-year agreement to use the ment with Spirit Air Cargo Han- of 2007, freight tonnage was up 1.6 CHAMP Cargosystems freight man- dling. The construction effort is due percent over the same period a year agement system. … Sodexi, the Air to be finished by the end of 2008. … ago. ... Martinair signed a three-year France-owned IT platform for cargo Iberia Cargo picked Traxon Eu- contract to have Aviapartner Car- handling, launched a system for en- rope to provide electronic communi- go perform all handling, including tirely paperless processing of air cargo cations for the airline’s cargo division warehousing, customs clearance and shipments. … Forwarder SEKO in Spain. … Cargo traffic at London documentation, at nine German sta- opened a facility in Copenhagen that Heathrow Airport grew 4 percent tions. … Hong Kong-based forwarder will serve Northern Europe and the in July, putting the airport 0.9 percent BALtrans opened its first operation Baltics. … bmi began an expansion of ahead of 2006 in the first seven in France, at Paris Charles de its network with the addition of 17 months of this year. London Gatwick Gaulle Airport, to mainly handle new routes, including flights to the traffic was down 20 percent, however, inbound shipments from Hong Kong Middle East and Central Asia as the and the business there has declined at and China. … Istanbul-based ACT British carrier extended once aimed at a double-digit rate for the 10 straight Airlines signed a memorandum of short-haul services into more mid- months. … Freight tonnage at Frank- understanding with Airbus for two range and long-haul operations. ■
swissworldcargo.com
Faster postal solutions: Swiss Mail.
Turn your snail mail into Swiss Mail. Our ultra-short acceptance, transfer and delivery times, plus seamless interfaces with postal organisations, speed up your international mail. At more than 150 destinations in over 80 countries. We care for your cargo.
October 2007 AirCargoWorld 15 10RegionalsINT 9/21/07 1:19 PM Page 16
ReportsRegional
PACIFIC Capacity Plan SIA’s new look at yield management includes investment in capacity in China, but not for cargo
“The agreement is driven by passen- ger considerations. We continue to focus on working with Great Wall (Airlines); we are not looking to an involvement with China Eastern.” Great Wall
Goh described the establishment of Great Wall Airlines, the joint venture cargo carrier in which SIA Cargo holds a 25 percent stake, as an impor- tant strategic move. But for the mo- ment there is not much of a basis for synergies, as the offshoot’s three 747- 400 freighters operate through Shang- hai, a destination SIA Cargo does not serve with maindeck capacity. With more 747 freighters to join hile its parent is about to take a giant step to expand Great Wall’s fleet, the scope for joint its reach, Singapore Airlines Cargo is concentrating on activities will grow, Goh said. capacity management. For now, his focus is on capacity W SIA and its majority owner Temasek, an investment arm of management, which he calls a key the Singaporean government, are poised to acquire a 25 percent stake in China element in his effort to return to Eastern Airlines, one of the country’s three dominant carriers, after the Chinese black figures. authorities signaled in late August that they had no objection to the plan. SIA Cargo, long one of the most ef- The pair revealed in May they were planning to spend $1 billion to obtain ficient and profitable operators in the the maximum equity position in a Chinese airline available to a foreign industry, posted a $31 million profit company. for fiscal 2006-2007, but only thanks The deal is only the second tie-up involving a major Chinese and an inter- to a surplus on disposal of aircraft and national carrier, after the hook-up of Air China and Cathay Pacific, a one-off tax writeback. By Ian Putzger which is set to spawn a joint venture cargo airline towards the end The period produced an of this year. operating deficit of $32 million. For SIA Cargo, however, the parent’s engagement with China Eastern will The red ink continued in the first not lead to ties with the Chinese carrier’s cargo arm. quarter of the current fiscal year, “I don’t see any ramifications on the cargo side,” said Goh Choon Phong, with an $11 million loss for the president of SIA Cargo, in a recent interview. April-June period.
16 AirCargoWorld October 2007 10RegionalsINT 9/21/07 1:19 PM Page 17
ReportsRegional
cent in the month. … DHL started Through modest capacity reduc- any new products but continue to using an Air Hong Kong 727-200 tions SIA Cargo improved its load fac- look if our customers have a need for freighter and stepped up frequency tor by two-tenths of percentage new solutions,” Goh said. on Hong Kong-Beijing flights to 10 point, but the breakeven load factor Some Asian rivals, such as Korean times weekly. DHL pointed to gov- went up 1.1 percentage points to 65.3 Air and Japan Airlines, have respond- ernment figures showing trade vol- percent, as the 4.9 percent reduction ed to growth in intra-Asian traffic by ume between Hong Kong and Main- in unit costs in the quarter was out- adding mid-sized freighters to their land China grew 23.5 percent in the paced by a 6.5 percent drop in yield. fleets. Goh said SIA Cargo keeps an first half of this year after growing Goh, who became president of SIA eye on that option but sees no need 21.6 percent last year. … The Gart- Cargo in the summer of 2006, had for medium-sized cargo planes in the ner Group research firm projected the misfortune to take over the reins near future, as its bellyhold capacity mobile phone production in India just as the market conditions were in the region is adequate. would grow at an average annual rate changing markedly for the worse. In the long run, he anticipates of 40 percent from 2006 to 2011, ex- Fresh capacity is outpacing growth stronger growth in intra-Asian traffic panding from 31 million units to 107 in demand, while costs — first and that stays in the region than in the million units. Production revenue foremost fuel — remain stubbornly longhaul sector, but stressed there will grow from $4.9 million to $13.6 high, adding to the airlines’ woes by should still be significant volumes billion in that time, a compound inducing shippers to seek ocean ves- moving from Asia to North America growth rate of 26.6 percent. ... Qan- sels where possible. and Europe. tas expanded its use of the Cargo He said signals cargo customers With the emphasis on tactical Community Network booking suggest the upcoming peak season management for the time being, portal, saying it will use CCN on a will be strong, but noted the market there is little focus on developing ties global basis. … U.S. forwarder IJS has been volatile and more difficult with other airlines, including the Global opened a company-owned to predict than in the past. For- WOW alliance. operation in Korea with an office in warders had expected the traditional “WOW has been on the quiet side Seoul. … Menlo Worldwide’s lo- spike around Chinese New Year, and I believe it will remain quiet for gistics center in Sydney received ISO which never materialized, said. some time,” Goh said, explaining al- 9001 quality certification. … UPS liance members have been occupied and the Shanghai Airport Authority Lift Match with their own plans and challenges. started construction on the UPS hub at Pudong International Airport, a The airline’s response to the deteri- one-million-square-foot facility due orating market has been an effort to … Briefly to open next year. … EVA Air start- better match lift and demand Freight traffic for Asia’s air carriers ed weekly 767-300 freighter service throughout the network. Between grew 2.8 percent in July on a 4.2 per- between Taipei and Japan’s Nagoya April and September, it scaled back cent gain in capacity, according to airport. … Indonesia’s Jakarta capacity in several markets, including the Association of Asia-Pacific Soekarno Hatta International the transpacific sector, by cutting Airlines. … China’s Jade Cargo In- Airport will add a cargo terminal ca- back freighter frequency. ternational started 747-400 pable of handling up to a million “We have adopted an approach freighter service between Frankfurt tons of freight annually. … Marti- where we can be nimble in reacting and Shenzhen and said it is planning nair started weekly 747 freighter ser- to market conditions,” Goh said. to soon add trans-Pacific connec- vice between Amsterdam and Xia- The flexibility through tighter tions. … Hong Kong Internation- men on China’s Southeastern coast. management and the airline’s net- al Airport showed its strongest car- … Cargo handled by Hong Kong’s work connectivity, backed by the op- go growth since March 2006 in July, Asia Airfreight Terminals grew 6 erating performance of its 14-strong with tonnage up 7.4 percent over the percent in July but was up only 0.7 747-400 freighter, are central to his same month a year ago. Exports ex- percent in the first seven months of strategy to return to profitability. panded 8.2 percent and once-lagging 2007 compared to the same period “We are not looking at introducing freighter operations grew 11.9 per- last year. ■
October 2007 AirCargoWorld 17 18F1-EuropeINT 9/21/07 1:21 PM Page 18
Feature Focus: Europe Airports
Driven to Once focused entirely now are exploring new the Edge by Peter Conway 18F1-EuropeINT 9/21/07 1:21 PM Page 19
ot so long ago the conven-
tional wisdom in Europe
was that the big central car- Ngo hubs on the continent – Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris,
Brussels and maybe Luxem-
bourg – would see the most
cargo growth.
All the talk was of centraliz-
ing, of both freighter opera-
tors and forwarders focusing
their activities on one or two
key European hubs. At Frank-
furt and Amsterdam, a surge
in freighter traffic grew as
large forwarders such as
Panalpina, Kuehne + Nagel
and Schenker built big con- y on the major cargo hubs, freighter operators solidation facilities in the air- w markets on the periphery of the continent port cargo villages.
October 2007 AirCargoWorld 19 18F1-EuropeINT 9/21/07 1:21 PM Page 20
Feature Focus: Europe Airports
By most standards, peripheral Eu- Fast Freight ropean markets such as Scandinavia, Top 15 fastest-growing airports in Europe (minimum Italy or Spain were best served by 25,000 tonnes) in 2006. truck feeder services. The United 1. Leipzig/Halle (LEJ) Germany 26,521 123.9 Kingdom, as one of the top three Eu- ropean economies, was the excep- 2. Oporto (OPO) Portugal 34,444 34.4 tion. Throughout the 1990s, airports 3. Liege (LGG) Belgium 405,949 24.6 such as Milan, Stockholm or 4. Malmo (MMX) Sweden 43,190 20.1 Barcelona saw more of their air cargo 5. Hamburg (HAM) Germany 37,619 17.8 trucked to central Europe than flown 6. Budapest (BUD) Hungary 65,151 17.3 on direct long haul flights. 7. Larnaca (LCA) Cyprus 43,961 12.4 In recent years, however, there has been a noticeable change. The 8. Stuttgart (STR) Germany 29.237 12.3 change started in Italy nearly five 9. Warsaw (WAW) Poland 46,320 12.3 years ago when airlines such as 10. Vienna (VIE) Austria 201,869 12.1 Cathay Pacific began serving Milan 11. Basel-Mulhouse (BSL) Switzerland 35,991 11.9 Malpensa with 747 freighters, and 12. St. Petersburg (LED) Russia 25,555 11.1 has intensified with the foundation 13. Hahn (HHN) Germany 112,293 11.0 of Italian cargo carriers Ocean Air and Cargoitalia. 14. Copenhagen (CPH) Denmark 388,024 9.3 In 2006, the focus shifted to 15. Munich (MUC) Germany 238,076 9.2 Scandinavia. New freighter services Source: IATA
“Once you have a certain service to the al manager cargo Europe for Cathay Swedish capital in Pacific, confirms the airline also is number of freighters, you March with 747- considering flying freighters to are in the club and you 400 extended- Barcelona, and China Airlines is said have a platform to continue range freighters. to be studying the airport too. Jade has since to grow.” trimmed the sched- hy this sudden urge on the part ule to one weekly Wof freighter operators to explore there include three-times-weekly flight due to a pilot shortage, but it new markets in Europe? 747-400 service to Copenhagen has been a pioneer of innovative The most obvious answer is that launched by Air China in Septem- routes since beginning operations in low rates out of Europe, driven by a ber 2006, and a three-times-a-week July 2006. After launching flights to surge in inbound capacity to carry MD-11 freighter from China Cargo Amsterdam with its first freighter, imports from Asia, have sent opera- Airlines in December. Jade paired Brescia (near Milan, in tors scurrying to find any market Meanwhile, Stockholm got twice- Northern Italy) and Barcelona for its that pays a little better. Björn Ragne- weekly 747-400-freighter service from second European service. brink, director of business develop- Korean Air in August 2006, similar Barcelona had earlier been discov- ment for intercontinental routes for service from Cathay Pacific in Sep- ered by Cargolux, which has flown LFV, the Swedish airports company, tember, and twice-weekly 747-400 twice-weekly service there on the admits he initially saw an opportu- freighter flights from Korean Air in way back from Hong Kong since nity for Stockholm in eastbound December. To cap it all, Jade Cargo 2004. In November, Emirates started traffic to Asia. International, the joint venture be- flying there, once a week with a 747- “If you fly from Amsterdam or tween Lufthansa Cargo and Shen- 400 freighter, and once a week with Frankfurt to China on a great circle zhen Airlines, started twice-weekly an A310 freighter. Ray Jewell, region- route, you almost fly over Stock-
20 AirCargoWorld October 2007 18F1-EuropeINT 9/21/07 1:22 PM Page 21
Feature Focus: Europe Airports
holm, and 50 percent of our cargo turers in Slovakia and Hungary, and a weekly 747-freighter flight to the was trucked south. So why not stop then routes these services back Swedish airport of Göthenburg, Car- here and pick up the cargo at through Copenhagen and Stock- golux earlier this year scrapped its source?” said Ragnebrink. holm, as well as via Amsterdam. weekly Göthenburg 747-400 Carriers insist it is not so much Cathay pairs Stockholm with Mu- freighter to New York, citing overca- about better rates as about lower costs nich, and Jade calls at Stockholm on pacity. In August, Emirates pulled and improved service. the way back from Amsterdam. the two 747 freighter flights a week Jewell at Cathay said trucking takes While discovering new outbound through Göthenburg to New York. time for the customer and is more markets – getting the cargo at source, Lufthansa withdrew its twice-weekly costly for the airline. He contrasts the as Ragnebrink puts it – is one motiva- MD-11 freighter from Göthenburg to needs of import customers, who pre- tion, there is also some evidence of Nagoya, although it still flies three fer a big central hub to distribute something of a snowball effect at times a week to Osaka via the airport. from, and export customers, who work: Jewell admits that if another Lars Korup, head of cargo for want to fly direct to their market. carrier flies direct to a market, it Copenhagen airport, believes Stock- For this reason, most airlines pair makes it harder to win trucked cargo holm has overdone it on the freighter the new destinations with more con- from that airport. front, and the services will not be sus- ventional ones. Korean operates up to There are also some signs of too tainable. Not surprisingly, he said, 12 freighter flights a week into Vien- many carriers in the Scandinavian Copenhagen is a better long-term bet na to bring parts to Korean manufac- market. While Asiana recently started for Asian freighter operators wishing
WHATEVER YOU NEED TRANSPORTED WE MEET THE HIGHEST DEMANDS.
Anyone looking to connect the Oriental Pearl with the West XJMM FWFOUVBMMZMBOEIFSF'PSHPPESFBTPOT%JSFDUÞJHIUTUBLF off for Shanghai and Hong Kong several times a week. And at $PMPHOF #POO ZPV DBO VTF SVOXBZT BOE CFOFÝU GSPN PVS 24-hour cargo service. Advantages that have not only won us TBUJTÝFEDVTUPNFST CVUBMTPUIF1FBSMBNPOHTUUIFBXBSET the Air Cargo Excellence Award 2007.
www.cologne-bonn-airport.de
October 2007 AirCargoWorld 21 18F1-EuropeINT 9/21/07 1:22 PM Page 22
Feature Focus: Europe Airports
ost airports looking for cargo business look for carriers, and some even go looking for forwarders. Then there are to serve Scandinavian. those that look right at shippers as they try to develop “We have large volumes coming in more business. from the Far East too, so we offer a The Schiphol Group, the management business that more balanced traffic,” said Korup. runs Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, is using the draw of the “We’re also just as close to the indus- airport and its real estate to develop more business in the trial areas of Sweden as Stockholm, vicinity that officials believe will lead to more shipping, and we also have a catchment area both air and ocean. that includes Poland, the Benelux M The group is taking the development drive a step further by sign- countries and northern Germany. So ing onto a joint venture with ING Real Estate and Chinamex, a Chi- flying to Copenhagen gives you na-focused trade development group that will build a trade center more flexibility.” near Schiphol that will host up to 1,500 Chinese companies looking Ragnebrink admits his current fo- to sell goods in Europe. cus is on keeping the services that he has and is not seeking any more Asian freighters for now. “But in the end, it is up to the airline to make Schiphol is Developing the judgement,” he said. “I can’t say “The trade and exhibition center will not offer space for the pro- to them, ‘We are full, go home.’” motion, sale and exhibition of goods, it will also offer – with the in- tention of simplifying import between buyers and sellers – logistical weden, Barcelona and Milan are and financial services,” the Schiphol Group said. Sattracting interest from freighter European airports have been perhaps the most aggressive in the operators because they have a con- world in setting up businesses to extend their management reach centration of export industries. abroad. Frankfurt managers Fraport, the United Kingdom’s BAA and Sweden has the big three air freight others have led investment groups that have taken stakes in airports commodities – the mobile phones of on other continents. Ericsson and Nokia, the automotive But Schiphol Group says its joint venture goes to a different level, industry of Volvo and Saab, and with the airport management company actively investing in a ven- pharmaceutical companies such as ture aimed entirely at fostering the movement of goods. Astra-Zeneca. Barcelona, meanwhile, “The flow of goods that the center will create will find their way to is in the heart of the industrial corner the rest of Europe through ports such as Amsterdam Airport of Spain, with industries such as Schiphol, the port of Amsterdam and the port of Rotterdam,” the pharmaceuticals, auto-assembly and group said. machinery: it is for this reason Swe- The Schiphol Group’s real estate division and ING Real Estate will den is getting the freighter attention each have a 15 percent stake in the joint venture, with Chinamex rather than Madrid. holding the rest. Amsterdam Schiphol, the base for KLM and Marti- Sweden is not the only country nair, is Europe’s third-largest cargo airport. After sluggish freight only on the edge of Europe that is business early in 2007, the airport saw cargo tonnage jump 7.8 per- getting attention from cargo opera- cent in July, leaving cargo up 4.2 percent for the first seven months tors. Munich’s freighter business has of the year. grown steadily in recent years. Basel An increasingly popular gateway for Asia-based freighters, Schiphol airport, at the junction of Switzer- gets some 58 percent of its cargo traffic from all-cargo aircraft. ■ land, France and Germany, has host- ed three weekly 747 freighters from Malaysian Airlines since 2005 and Germany’s engineering and chemi- route. Korean stops off at Basel on the four from Korean Air for even longer. cals, and the large Peugeot facility in way back from New York to Seoul In- The attraction is Basel’s industrial the Alsace region of France. cheon. The carrier also called at hinterland, which includes Swiss Basel’s Korean Air freighter service Copenhagen on the way back from pharmaceutical industries, Southern is on an eastbound round the world the United States until January 2006,
22 AirCargoWorld October 2007 18F1-EuropeINT 9/21/07 1:53 PM Page 23
Feature Focus: Europe Airports
Top Europe Airports Europe’s top cargo airports in first five months of 2007. while Singapore Airlines routes two WORLD PERCENT RANK AIRPORT COUNTRY TONNAGE CHANGE flights a week to and from Chicago via Copenhagen. 7 Frankfurt (FRA) Germany 861,611 0.9 Jelle Huijting, head of cargo for 10 Paris de Gaulle (CDG) France 805 880 4.8 Basel, said there is a strong desire in the 15 Amsterdam (AMS) Netherlands 646,156 2.4 market for a direct freighter connection 18 London Heathrow (LHR) U.K. 554,351 –0.3 westbound from Basel to the U.S., and 26 Luxembourg (LUX) Luxembourg 332,586 15.5 both Copenhagen and Stockholm are 26 Cologne (CGN) Germany 298,214 5.8 also considering such services. 29 Brussels (BRU) Belgium 274,212 7.2 “The U.S. is still the largest export 30 Cologne (CGN) Germany 691,110 7.4 market for Sweden, so it is a route we Source: Airports Council International would like to develop, but it is not so easy to think of airlines to target as it is on the Asian routes,” said Ragnebrink. against the euro doesn’t help either. to new freighter service, imports have One problem: there is still plenty In the end, only time will tell if the grown faster than exports when com- of belly cargo capacity out of the cen- new freighter services are sustainable. bining flown and trucked cargo, from tral hubs, and most major U.S. carri- But one interesting fact emerges. Al- 45 percent of traffic to 48. ers don’t operate freighters, pushing though Stockholm has seen a nearly Ragnebrink sees this development rates down. The fall of the dollar 30 percent jump in flown cargo due as a sign the new freighter operators
4HE !IR #ARGO (UB 4RUCK CONNECTIONS TO MORE THAN FOR .ORTHERN %UROPE CITIES SERVING ALL 3CANDINAVIA 4HE "ALTICS AND CONTINENTAL %UROPE
#ARGO FRIENDLY AND MOST INEXPENSIVE (ELSINKI CARGO AIRPORT IN 3CANDINAVIA /SLO 3TOCKHOLM 4ALLINN !IRPORT "USINESS 0ARK n M n IDEAL FOR REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION 'OTHENBURG 2IGA 3HORTEST TRANSFER TIME IN %UROPE #OPENHAGEN -ALMÚ HOURS OPERATION 6ILNIUS 'DANSK (AMBURG CARGO STANDS AND CARGO TERMINALS !MSTERDAM "ERLIN 7ARSAW &OR