More than 900,000 tonnes of goods was transported through Liege Airport in 2019, a new record for Belgium’s main air cargo facility.
The movement of 902.480 tonnes of transported goods is a 3.6% increase compared with 870.644 tonnes in 2018.
The rise is in contrast to a slowdown in the global air cargo sector slowed last year in which uncertainty over Brexit and the trade war between China and the United States considerably influenced world trade and, as a result, the transport of goods.
Luc Partoune, CEO of Liege Airport, said: “Our performance is significant in the context of a year that experienced many upheavals, with a double figure growth for the first three months, slowing down between April and July and then declined in August and September. We bounced back at the end of the year.”
Partoune said that major projects were planned at the airport, including an impact study for lengthening the contingency runway.
“We are also working on the implementation of Alibaba, the bypass road, the construction of a hydrogen station and on training personnel to meet the very high demand.
“It will be a busy year during which we shall have to provide quality services to our customers, as well as investing in infrastructure and innovative solutions.”
Passenger activity at the airport remained stable last year, with 170,737 people arriving and leaving.
Liege Airport specialises in express transport, e-commerce, pharmaceutical products and perishable goods, as well as live animals.
It transports 3,000 horses a year and was chosen to handle more than 250 horses for the Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.