Düsseldorf increases tonnage
17 / 08 / 2009
CARGO tonnage January to June at Düsseldorf, rose by 4.2 per cent, an encouraging upward trend in the present slow down. The increase is thanks to continued healthy passenger traffic coupled with the attraction of Düsseldorf as a convenient and efficient distribution hub for Northern Germany. The airport won the prestigious ‘Cargo Airport of the Year’ award in the 100,000 tonne class. A new airline, Sun d’Or an El Al affiliate, will commence flights between Tel Aviv and Düsseldorf in September with a once a week B737 flight with two tonne cargo capacity.
Gerton Hulsman, managing director of DUS Cargo Logistics, knows that the high passenger profile provides excellent cargo capacity. “This is Germany’s third largest airport serving 180 destinations worldwide, with over 18 million passengers and a potential capacity of 300,000 tonnes of cargo per annum. Being at the heart of North Rhine Westphalia, Germany’s leading industrial and commercial region, accounting for around 32 per cent of Germany’s GDP, the airport and logistics network distribute goods throughout the whole of Northern Germany, the Benelux and Europe. Traditional manufacturing has been matched by modern hi-tech industries. The airport is a key factor in this success story.
“With so many other competitive airports within a few hours drive, we have to really look after our forwarders and attract new customers. Giving that extra attention and making special effort to deliver high quality performance are therefore our top priorities. If you consider the increasing reluctance of many big airports to accept all cargo flights, make freighter friendly airports such as Düsseldorf an easy choice for shippers, forwarders and airlines. We are very pleased to have retained our entire workforce during these difficult times, which we have achieved by lending some staff to our parent company Düsseldorf International Airport, where they will perform a number of tasks including baggage handling.”