Amsterdam Airport Schiphol remains committed to sustainable growth as first-half cargo volumes fell at double-digit rates due to the challenging operating environment.

Cargo volumes were down 13.8% in the first 6 months of 2022 to 721,746 tonnes, with inbound cargo down 17.5% to 364,376 tonnes and outbound by 9.7% to 357,369 tonnes.

The top 3 cargo destinations by tonnage were Shanghai, Dubai and Chicago, with 65% of volumes being transported on freighters and the other 35% on passenger flights.

The main factors for falling cargo in 2022 is the global decrease of volumes transported and the fall out of the war in Ukraine barring Russian carriers from operating in Europe, along with growing capacity on passenger flights, and production and transport issues in Asia.

Anne Marie van Hemert, Head of Aviation Business Development at Schiphol, says, “The 2021 and 2022 figures have shown that Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is still the airport of choice for logistic companies and their customers. Now that demand for passenger flights has increased, the available airport capacity needs to be shared.”

She adds, “In the first half-year, innovation through our Smart Cargo Mainport Program has continued. Automated Nomination has been introduced as the new standard procedure for inbound cargo, which informs customers about incoming shipments before arrival. Going forward, additional measures will be implemented for secure cargo handovers.”