Brussels Airport has seen cargo volumes fall by 5.7 per cent in November to 39,554 tonnes, the first month to see a decline in 2015, with Ethiopian Airlines leaving blamed for the drop in freighter traffic.
In November, freighter cargo as a whole declined by 5.5 per cent to 27,527 tonnes compared to 29,122 tonnes in 2014. The full freighter sector saw the most significant fall, dropping 15.5 per cent to 10,756 tonnes though integrator traffic was up by 2.3 per cent to 16,771 tonnes. Bellyhold cargo fell by 6.4 per cent to 12,027 tonnes.
Brussels Airport says: “The full freighter segment fell by a sharp 15.5 per cent due to the departure of Ethiopian Airlines. The carrier had to move its cargo business elsewhere after they did not receive traffic rights in our country.”
“All over Europe air cargo transport is decreasing. As a result, Brussels Airport too recorded a 6.4 per cent drop in belly cargo compared to November last year.”
Despite this month’s decline, cargo traffic between January and November is up by 7.8 per cent to 448,718 tonnes. The freighter segment is up 11.7 per cent to 317,262 tonnes with full freighter seeing a 19.4 per cent rise to 133,544 tonnes while integrator traffic increased by 6.7 per cent to 183,719 tonnes. Bellyhold cargo dipped by 0.7 per cent to 131,456 tonnes.