EDINBURGH's Menzies Aviation fears air cargo volumes will decline as passenger services resume with the end of the Covid crisis, reports London's Loadstar.
'But I am expecting a busy summer, 2022 to be better and 2023 better still. The holy grail is airlines returning to 2019 schedules,' said Menzies cargo chief Robert Fordree.
'We are not seeing a pattern at the moment, and we are getting different responses from different airlines,' he said.
'We are not seeing a pattern at the moment, and we are getting different responses from different airlines,' he said.
'What is happening right now is unsustainable,' Mr Fordree said. 'Yes, we are seeing the benefit of a high cargo payload. That will reduce when passengers come back.
'Will airlines increase scheduled services for cargo? Will they take higher yielding passengers over cargo, or bring in new capacity? That's what we don't know. Is cargo a 'nice-to-have', or is it more important than that?'
'Lots of airports are looking to invest in cargo, and asking us what we need. A lot of people have woken up to cargo.
'We are now seeing support from airports - but that's not to say that all of a sudden there's loads of space available. Most gateways are hampered by a lack of facilities, and many don't have space. But there is a lot more engagement and flexibility.'
There has been much talk recently of carriers returning to the major gateways as Covid eases off and flights return to normal. Given much of Menzies' growth has taken place during the pandemic, there are concerns that the market will look different in a year's time.
'You have to take a bit of a leap of faith with airports, Mr Fordree said. 'But one of the things you look at is longer-term arrangements and investment in the airport. Will some carriers revert to traditional gateways? Yes, but lots are already capacity-restricted.'
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'But I am expecting a busy summer, 2022 to be better and 2023 better still. The holy grail is airlines returning to 2019 schedules,' said Menzies cargo chief Robert Fordree.
'We are not seeing a pattern at the moment, and we are getting different responses from different airlines,' he said.
'We are not seeing a pattern at the moment, and we are getting different responses from different airlines,' he said.
'What is happening right now is unsustainable,' Mr Fordree said. 'Yes, we are seeing the benefit of a high cargo payload. That will reduce when passengers come back.
'Will airlines increase scheduled services for cargo? Will they take higher yielding passengers over cargo, or bring in new capacity? That's what we don't know. Is cargo a 'nice-to-have', or is it more important than that?'
'Lots of airports are looking to invest in cargo, and asking us what we need. A lot of people have woken up to cargo.
'We are now seeing support from airports - but that's not to say that all of a sudden there's loads of space available. Most gateways are hampered by a lack of facilities, and many don't have space. But there is a lot more engagement and flexibility.'
There has been much talk recently of carriers returning to the major gateways as Covid eases off and flights return to normal. Given much of Menzies' growth has taken place during the pandemic, there are concerns that the market will look different in a year's time.
'You have to take a bit of a leap of faith with airports, Mr Fordree said. 'But one of the things you look at is longer-term arrangements and investment in the airport. Will some carriers revert to traditional gateways? Yes, but lots are already capacity-restricted.'
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