Compared to last year, airports reported a marginal 0.5% growth in total freight in the first half of the year, comprised of growth of 0.3% in international freight and 1.0% in domestic freight, according to just-released data from Airports Council International (ACI).
The slow traffic reflected a subdued growth of 4.1% for emerging and developing economies as well as a modest recovery of 1.8% in GDP for advanced economies, as projected by the International Monetary Fund for 2016, said the new ACI report.
Exerting a negative impact on air freight performance are the lackluster global industrial activity and trade due to China’s economic transition, weak growth of the Japanese economy, weaker-than-expected growth of the United States, and recessions in Brazil and Russia, the report added.
Three regions plunged into negative territory in the period January to June 2016 year-over-year. North America, Latin America-Caribbean, and Africa reported freight traffic losses of 2.1%, 0.9%, and 0.1%, respectively. Asia-Pacific and Europe reported growth of 1.0% and 2.3%, respectively, while only the Middle East grew a confident 4.5% over the course of the first six months in 2016.
In Asia-Pacific, regional air freight picked up at 5.9% in June 2016, surpassing the year-to-date figure of 1.0%. International air freight grew a meager 0.5% during the first half of the year, while domestic air freight was somewhat stronger at 2.4%.
China, accounting for over a third of air freight traffic in the region (34.3% share in 2015), grew a modest 3.9% in total freight (3.2% in domestic and 4.8% in international freight) on a year-to-date basis.
In Japan—the second largest in the region with a 13.4% share—air freight at major commercial airports dropped 2.7% during the first half of 2016 as against the same period in 2015, with equal declines in domestic and international freight.
Hong Kong—the third largest with a 10.8% share—saw a 0.8% fall in international freight.
India, on the other hand, posted a robust 9.6% increase the first six months of 2016, consisting of 4.1% growth in domestic freight and 10.5% growth in international freight.
South Korea logged a 0.4% increase, with international freight growing 0.9% even as domestic freight slipped into negative territory with a 4.6% decrease. Malaysia and Indonesia saw traffic declines of 18.5% and 8.8%, respectively, on a year-to-date basis.
At the individual airport level, Guangzhou registered the highest growth year-to-date (6.0% or 43,950 tonnes), followed by Singapore (4.4% or 40,600 tonnes), and Delhi (10.6% or +39,620 tonnes). But significant year-to-date falls were seen at Kuala Lumpur (declining 18.5% or 71,600 tonnes) and Tokyo-Narita (3.6% or 38,690 tonnes).
Total freight traffic in Africa increased 0.7% in June compared with the previous year and declined 0.1% during the first six months of 2016. On a country-by-country basis, modest growth in South Africa (2.2%) was not enough to offset air cargo traffic dips in Egypt (contracting by 7.4%), Kenya (6.9%), and Nigeria (1.7%).
Aggregate cargo traffic in Europe grew 1.7% in June 2016, which was slightly below the year-to-date figure of 2.3%. The three largest air freight markets in the region were Germany, the UK, and France, growing 1.9%, 3.6% and 3.6%, respectively, during the first six months of 2016. Turkey reported a sharp 12.4% decline rate at its major commercial airports year-to-date.
At the individual airport level, the highest increases in air freight year-to-date were recorded at Paris-Charles de Gaulle (4.2% or 38,890 tonnes), Leipzig (6.7% or 31,830 tonnes), and London-Heathrow (2.2% or 17,140 tonnes). During the same period, losses were recorded at Istanbul-Ataturk (13.1% decline or 52,380 tonnes) and Brussels (6.8% or 16,070 tonnes).
Overall cargo traffic in Latin America-Caribbean fell 3.2% in June 2016 and 0.9% year-to-date. While traffic in Brazil was down 9.4% year-to-date, Colombia and Mexico recorded 0.3% and 5.8% increases, respectively. In Mexico, international and domestic air freight volumes were strong at 6.0% and 5.0%, respectively, during the first half of the year. Out of 22 countries in Latin America-Caribbean reporting air freight figures to ACI, 10 countries posted losses, evidence of the fragile state of the air freight industry in the region.
At the individual airport level, only a handful of airports in the region recorded meaningful growth year-to-date, notably Santiago (18.7% or 26,385 tonnes), Mexico City (7.0% or 15,410 tonnes), and Guadalajara (11.3% or 7,550 tonnes). During the same period, the heaviest losses year-to-date were recorded at Viracopos/Campinas (17.4% drop or 16,280 tonnes less), Sao Paulo-Guarulhos (5.8% or 15,020 tonnes), and Manaus (18.7% or 11,080 tonnes).
Air freight traffic in the Middle East in the first six months of 2016 was not as robust as previously, even though airports in the region recorded the highest increase compared with other regions at 4.5%. At the country level, Qatar was the largest contributor to growth with Doha reporting a 20.3% growth rate for the first half of the year, equivalent to an additional 129,230 tonnes of cargo.
Combined volume in North America was not strong, either in June (which grew 2.1%) or during the first six months of the year (which fell 2.1%). A 0.6% growth rate in domestic freight was not enough to offset an international freight volume decline of 5.7% in the first half of the year at major commercial airports in the region.
At the individual airport level, the highest increases were recorded at Memphis (2.1% or 44,600 tonnes year-to-date), Louisville (3.5% or 38,400 tonnes), and Ontario (12% or 25,560 tonnes). During the same period, significant losses were recorded at Anchorage (negative 10.2% or 135,590 tonnes less year-to-date), Chicago-O’Hare (13.9% or 130,710 tonnes), and Houston-George Bush (20.3% or 45,150 tonnes).
As of January 2016, ACI, the trade association of the world’s airports, serves 592 members operating 1,853 airports in 173 countries.
Photo: Trinidade
