Freight traffic at European airports has jumped by 8.7 per cent in October, the best monthly performance for over five years, according to figures from Airports Council International (ACI) Europe.
The October figure was the best monthly performance since May 2011, with European Union (EU) airports registering an average increase of seven per cent while non-EU hubs were up 22.9 per cent.
ACI Europe director general, Olivier Jankovec says: “Both the passenger and freight dynamics reflected a generally improved macro-economic environment, especially in the EU – as well as low oil prices.”
Despite the good news, Jankovec warns: “However, the prospect of oil price hikes and the risk of decreasing business & consumer confidence on the back on heightened geopolitical instability may well confront us with very different traffic dynamics in the coming months.”
The four top European airports all registered strong growth in October, with Frankfurt Airport up 5.6 per cent to 184,119 tonnes, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport increasing 3.9 per cent to 182,314 tonnes, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol surging 10.8 per cent to 163,172 tonnes, and Heathrow Airport rising 6.7 per cent to 141,444 tonnes.
On a year-to-date basis, Frankfurt has grown 1.5 per cent to 1.67 million tonnes, Paris by 4.2 per cent to 1.62 million, Amsterdam by 2.6 per cent to 1.37 million and Heathrow by 2.6 per cent to 1.27 million.
