Liege cements top slot in Belgium

Liege Airport confirmed its position as Belgium’s number one cargo airport with 590,579 tonnes in 2014, up 5.3 per cent on 2013.
The increase at the European hub was due to increased throughput by major carriers TNT Airways, Ethiopian Cargo and CAL, along with Ana Airline Management’s decision to base its cargo fleet in Liege from late May.
The increase in cargo came in the face of a four per cent fall in passenger traffic, due mainly to the ending of a regular service to Tel Aviv and a decline in tour operator traffic.
The airport plans to extend the pharma centre in 2015 and build a reception centre for horses, adding a range of welfare services. Liege Airport is the European leader for horse transportation by air, with over 3,000 travelling through in 2014.
Meanwhile, Belgian hub Brussels Airport saw a 5.6 per cent rise in cargo to just under 454,000 tons in 2014, while passenger traffic jumped 14.6 per cent to 22m passengers.
Brussels management stated: "The significant increase in belly cargo, i.e. cargo carried on board of passenger flights, goes hand in hand with the growth in passenger numbers. Both segments are reinforcing each other with cargo customers being offered a larger range of destinations served. 
"Over the past twelve months, Brussels Airport took several strategic initiatives to stimulate cargo traffic, including the IATA certification for the transport of temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals – a world first – and the significant investments in the Brucargo infrastructure of the past three years."
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