European airports saw cargo demand increase again in February, although there was a slowdown on growth levels recorded in January.
The latest figures from Airports Council International (ACI) Europe show that freight demand increased by 5.7% year on year in February, down on January’s 8.7% uptick.
This slowdown was to be expected as the Chinese New Year (CNY), which this year fell in mid-February, affects performance as factories close down for the holiday resulting in lower import volumes into Europe.
Growth for the month was highest at non-European Union (EU) airports, which registered a 14% improvement, while EU airports saw demand increase by 4.3%. For the year to date, demand is up 6.5%.
Looking at individual airport performance, Europe’s largest cargo hub, Frankfurt, saw demand increase by 1.7% year on year in February to 156,424 tonnes.
Paris Charles de Gaulle, meanwhile, registered a 1.1% increase as volumes for the month reached 147,000 tonnes.
Capacity constrained Schiphol, meanwhile, saw cargo demand increase by 0.5% during the month to 132,076 tonnes and Heathrow, the fastest growing of the major EU hubs, saw demand improve by 5% to 133,140 tonnes.
Earlier this week, ACI revealed that Hong Kong had maintained its position as the world's busiest cargo airport.
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