Air cargo exports growth offsets import declines at Frankfurt Airport

Frankfurt Airport saw cargo volumes increase by 4.5% year on year in October, with an increase in exports offsetting a decrease in imports.

The German hub saw exports increase by around 10.2% compared with a year ago to 94,600 tonnes, while imports declined by 1.7% to 88,100 tonnes.

Exports to Asia were up by 18.8% on last year’s levels, while imports were down 2.2%.

Airport operator Fraport said the decline in Asian imports had been driven by a 4.3% fall from China and a 10.1% decrease from Hong Kong. The company added that traffic to Europe from these origins is strongly influenced by e-commerce.

In July, the European Union added a €3 charge for low-value items imported into the bloc as part of efforts to tackle the deluge of e-commerce imports.

Figures from data provider WorldACD show that overall air cargo volumes from China & Hong Kong to Europe in October were down by 17% year on year as a result of the new fee.

In terms of exports to Asia, volumes to India were up by 30.9%, South Korea 22.5% and Japan 14.9%.

Meanwhile, North America volumes at Frankfurt were up 10.2% in October, with growth in both imports and exports, which Fraport said reflected a positive air cargo trade environment between Europe and the US.

“Goods that are particularly suited to airfreight, such as machinery and high-tech products, have performed positively over the course of the year to date, supported in part for strong US demand for technology and AI-related goods,” Fraport explained.

Traffic with Latin America was up 9.5%, although there was a decline in Argentinian volumes due to operating restrictions at Buenos Aires airport as a result of runway work that started on 25 October.

African volumes improved by 23.4% but there was a 10.1% decline in intra-European volumes and a 13.4% for the Middle East.