Vienna Airport reported a continuing stable cargo business at the beginning of the year with a notable increase in belly cargo as passenger flights start to resume.
The airport recorded a tonnage of 20,770 tons in January 2022, up 5% compared to January 2021 (19,735 tons). In February 2022, tonnages reach 18,259 tons, a similar level to the previous year (18,543 tons).
It added that Vienna Airport continues the solid freight level of the previous year: approximately 20% growth in annual tonnage was recorded by Austria's most important commercial airport in 2021 (261,299 tons) compared to 2020 (217,887 tons).
"Freight tonnages in January and February 2022 continued the good level of the previous year and strong growth in belly freight," the hub said, adding that the return of passenger flights roughly doubled the volume of belly freight in both months compared to 2021.
It noted that high frequencies of cargo-only freighters and new freight charter connections are creating further vital cargo capacities at Vienna Airport from Central and Eastern Europe to Asia and North America.
Increase in belly cargo
"A strong increase in tonnage was recorded for the belly cargo of passenger aircraft at the beginning of the year. January 2022 saw an upturn of around 54% compared to the same month last year, while February 2022 saw an increase of almost 48%," Austria's largest airport said.
It added that the reason for the rise in belly freight is the increased volume of passenger connections, which are being taken up more frequently again after the Covid-19 crisis.
For the electronics and automotive industries, in particular, further valuable supply chains between Asia and Central and Eastern Europe are emerging from Vienna.
The hub said cargo-only flights already connect Austria's capital with important hubs such as Seoul-Incheon, Istanbul, or Baku. Meanwhile, regular "preighter" flights have also been established to Taipei and Hanoi.
New charter connections also complement Vienna's cargo offering. It said at the end of 2021, for example, the logistics service provider cargo-partner launched a weekly part-charter program that will provide additional cargo capacity from Vienna to Chicago O'Hare Airport.
"In order to maintain supply chains, we have recently seen an increase of customer demand on this route. Vienna Airport serves us as an ideal hub for the catchment area throughout Central and Eastern Europe," says Stefan Krauter, CEO of cargo-partner.
"Thanks to our excellent infrastructure and handling capacities, Vienna Airport has established itself as an ideally positioned air cargo hub for Central and Eastern Europe. With the addition of further flights, we are able to further expand our cargo capacities to Asia or North America," Michael Zach, vice president of sales & finance, ground handling & cargo operations at Vienna Airport, added.
