Freight traffic across the European airport network grew strongly in March and in the first quarter (Q1), according to the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe.
Tonnage grew by eight per cent in Q1 on the same quarter last year and ACI Europe says March was the best monthly performance since April 2011 with growth of 13.7 per cent on the same month last year.
In Q1, Heathrow Airport grew 7.3 per cent to 399,481 tonnes, Frankfurt Airport 6.8 per cent to 508,025 tonnes, Paris CDG Airport 0.4 per cent to 471,837 tonnes, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol eight per cent to 420,167 tonnes, Madrid-Barajas Airport 11.4 per cent to 108,509 tonnes, and Brussels Airport 27.3 per cent to 130,068 tonnes.
ACI Europe director general, Olivier Jankovec says: “The momentum for traffic growth is holding on and it may well continue to do so in the coming months. The risk of increased political instability for the EU has just receded with the results of the French elections – a very positive factor for our industry.
“The return of a growth dynamic for freight reflects increasing trade, business confidence and the fact that other leading indicators are showing the economy is on the up – especially in the Eurozone.”
He adds: “However, we need to be cautious in our optimism given that the wider geopolitical environment remains more instable than ever. The ongoing uncertainty over the implications of Brexit for aviation is unlikely to be resolved quickly – and this might end up limiting airline capacity growth and network development opportunities for some airports, especially in the UK.”
