HK still world’s most active air cargo hub

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Hong_Kong_International_AirportThe year 2015 saw total air cargo handled edging up modestly, and Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) keeping its lead as the busiest airfreight hub in the world, according to a new report by Airports Council International (ACI).

Total cargo handled last year, including mail, rose 2.4% year-over-year, while total international freight grew 2.2% from a year ago.

Hong Kong emerged the leader based on reports from 1,144 airports worldwide, said ACI. Last year, HKIA posted a year-over-year volume growth of 0.4%  in 2015 with 4.46 million metric tonnes of total cargo loaded and unloaded.

Memphis International Airport in Tennessee, U.S., retains its second spot with growth of 0.8% last year, having lifted 4.29 metric tonnes, and in third spot is Shanghai Pudong International Airport with a 2.9% growth, or 3.27 million metric tonnes handled.

Notable developments in the Top 20 list include the robust growth experienced by Chicago’s O-Hare International Airport despite apparent pockets of weakness in the air cargo markets, registering an expansion in 2015 of 15.6%, equal to 1.59 million metric tonnes .

“With recently expanded air cargo facilities, the airport maintains its status as a major nexus for global trade and a link to the multimodal transfer of goods across the continent,” said ACI.

Also posting strong growth is Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, a major Middle Eastern airport and one of the fastest growing airports in the world, which entered the top 20 with a jump of 46% in air cargo volumes in 2015.

On the other hand, volume contractions were experienced by Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan (-3.2%), Frankfurt Airport in Germany (-2.6%), Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands (-0.9%), and Japan’s Narita International Airport (-0.6%).

The complete list of the world’s 20 biggest airfreight hubs is as follows: Hong Kong, Memphis, Shanghai, Anchorage, Incheon, Dubao, Louiseville, Tokyo, Paris, Frankfurt, Taipei, Miami, Los Angeles, Beijing, Singapore, Amsterdam, Chicago, London, Guangzhou, and Doha.

Most patronized passenger airports

Meanwhile, ACI’s passenger traffic results for the most traveled airports in 2015 reveal that the top spot continues to belong to Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. Growing by 5.5% year-over-year in passenger traffic to the record-breaking total of over 100 million passengers in 2015, Atlanta has benefited tremendously from its strategic location as a major connecting hub and port of entry into North America.

While Beijing Capital International Airport was poised to close the gap on Atlanta airport by 2015, it no longer benefits from the double-digit growth it enjoyed in previous years, and as such remains in second position. The combination of a Chinese slowdown and capacity constraints has meant lower growth levels at the airport. The airport grew by 4.4% in total passenger traffic. At the same time, Shanghai, the second largest airport for throughput in China, grew by 16.3% in 2015. With an added runway and increased slot capacity, it was the fastest growing airport among the world’s top 20.

Moving from the sixth busiest airport in 2014 to the third position in 2015 is Dubai, where total passenger traffic grew by 10.7% in 2015. The airport is also the world’s busiest in terms of international passengers ahead of London-Heathrow.

Chicago O’Hare moved up to become the fourth ranked airport in 2015 from seventh position in 2014, with growth last year of 9.8%. After years of congestion, the airport is reaping the benefits of runway expansions and other capacity developments.

The Top 20 aviation hubs in passenger volume are Atlanta, Beijing, Dubai, Chicago, Tokyo, London, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Paris, Dallas/Fort Worth, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Shanghai, Amsterdam, New York, Singapore, Guangzhou, Jakarta, Denver, and Bangkok.

Photo: Crisco 1492