Schiphol’s air cargo up 3.2 per cent

AMSTERDAM Airport Schiphol achieved a 3.2 per cent improvement in its cargo business last year.
The Dutch airfreight hub handled 1,53 million tonnes – close to the facility’s all-time record set in 2007.
A total of 410,698 tonnes (up eight per cent on 2012) passed through Schiphol during a strong fourth quarter, which also saw a return of the traditional pre-Christmas peak in traffic.
The airport’s Asian business rose 7.1 per cent to 601,442 tonnes, a 40 per cent share of cargo traffic, followed by North America (16.6 per cent), the Middle East (12.9), Latin America (11.2), Africa (11) and Europe (nine).
During the year, freighter movements increased by 0.5 per cent to 15,623 tonnes for the year – with most of the growth occurring in the final quarter (up 6.1 per cent) as carriers introduced extra capacity to meet rising demand, a statement says. 
Commenting on the positive result, Enno Osinga, senior vice-president of cargo at Schiphol, reveals: “These results show that we turned the corner in 2013.
“Although the very high volumes in recent months have been driven mainly by electronics and new products such as electronic games consoles, there has also been an underlying increase in general cargo since the middle of 2013, which gives us confidence that we are in a long-term recovery,” he points out.
“The fact that not all surrounding airports have shown similar healthy growth is an indication that Schiphol has strengthened its position in the market. But we would like to see volume increases at all European airports, as a sign of true economic recovery.”
Osinga cautions that the threat of modal shift must not be ignored. “Greater efficiency, speed and accuracy, achieved through streamlined processes, are the only ways in which we can reassert the industry’s role and assure its future – which is why Schiphol cargo and its logistics community co