THE EU's busiest cargo airport saw cargo volumes drop in the first half of the year as Covid lockdowns in China and the war in Ukraine took their toll on cargo demand, reports London's Air Cargo News.
Airport operator Fraport said that during the first six months of the year cargo demand declined by 11 per cent year on year to one million tonnes.
'After a strong cargo performance in 2021, the decline can be mainly attributed to the airspace restrictions following the war in Ukraine, as well as to the effects of numerous lockdowns implemented in China as part of its zero-Covid strategy,' Fraport said.
The airport has also been affected by ground handling capacity constraints during the year.
In January, Lufthansa Cargo placed an embargo on certain shipments at frankfurt as it battled staff shortages due to Covid outbreaks.
In July, which wouldn't have affected first-half performance at the hub, further restrictions were put in place due to staff shortages at the airport at Fraport's handling operation.
In June, cargo volumes were down by 11.8 per cent to 167,771 tonnes. 'The slow but sure opening of China effected a slight increase of worldwide manufacturing. Nonetheless, the global procurement manager index was at a 22-month low,' said Fraport.
'A main reason for this downturn is the stagnating count of incoming orders in the very important industrial regions US and European euro zone.
'There was somewhat less pressure on the delivery chains. However, the handling situation at airports remained strenuous.
'Consequently, Asia tonnage was only down by 2.9 per cent compared to June 2021. Cargo traffic connected to east Europe was almost at a standstill (-91.9%). North America traffic continued on a downward slide (-15.3%). Latin America was only 3.9 per cent below the count in June 2021. Only cargo
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Airport operator Fraport said that during the first six months of the year cargo demand declined by 11 per cent year on year to one million tonnes.
'After a strong cargo performance in 2021, the decline can be mainly attributed to the airspace restrictions following the war in Ukraine, as well as to the effects of numerous lockdowns implemented in China as part of its zero-Covid strategy,' Fraport said.
The airport has also been affected by ground handling capacity constraints during the year.
In January, Lufthansa Cargo placed an embargo on certain shipments at frankfurt as it battled staff shortages due to Covid outbreaks.
In July, which wouldn't have affected first-half performance at the hub, further restrictions were put in place due to staff shortages at the airport at Fraport's handling operation.
In June, cargo volumes were down by 11.8 per cent to 167,771 tonnes. 'The slow but sure opening of China effected a slight increase of worldwide manufacturing. Nonetheless, the global procurement manager index was at a 22-month low,' said Fraport.
'A main reason for this downturn is the stagnating count of incoming orders in the very important industrial regions US and European euro zone.
'There was somewhat less pressure on the delivery chains. However, the handling situation at airports remained strenuous.
'Consequently, Asia tonnage was only down by 2.9 per cent compared to June 2021. Cargo traffic connected to east Europe was almost at a standstill (-91.9%). North America traffic continued on a downward slide (-15.3%). Latin America was only 3.9 per cent below the count in June 2021. Only cargo
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