Seattle and Calgary airports notch cargo volume rises

North American airport tonnage statistics continue to flow in, with west coast hubs north and south of the US-Canadian border recording increases.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) saw total air cargo volumes increase for the fifth straight year in 2016, up by 10.2% over prior year to more than 366,000 tonnes.
The US northwest hub welcomed four new airfreight carriers in 2016: DHL, AeroLogic, Amazon’s PrimeAir and AirBridgeCargo. 
Domestic airfreight soared 20% to 194,754 tonnes in 2016 and Sea-Tac was the first US airport in 2016 to welcome the Amazon-branded Prime Air 767 freighter into service.
North of the border, Canada’s western hub of Calgary International Airport (YYC) saw its cargo volumes grow by 1.7% to a record 137,255 tonnes.
“Our 2016 numbers show YYC and its airline partners are providing businesses and travellers access to the markets and destinations they’re looking for,” said Bob Sartor, president and chief executive of Calgary Airport Authority.
Calgary International Airport continues to be the air cargo gateway for Alberta, handling three-quarters of all air cargo in the province, and supporting the important cargo and logistics sector in southern Alberta.
In 2016, DHL Express Canada tripled the size of its operations at YYC, taking space in the hub’s new 100,000 sq ft dedicated cargo facility, featuring direct access to expanded cargo apron space.
Canadian freighter operator Cargojet doubled its payload capacity by starting Boeing 767-300F operations.
Last week saw Miami International (MIA) register a 0.37% increase in total cargo volumes (international and domestic) to just under 2m tonnes in 2016, while Ohio’s Cincinnati and Rickenbacker airports both recorded full-year increases versus 2015 of 1.7% to 742,000 and 92,000 tonnes respectively.
The big three US cargo hubs, Memphis, Anchorage and Louisville — all of which feature in the top ten global cargo hub rankings — have yet to file their full year 2016 cargo statistics.