Belgium's Liege Airport suffers 14.5pc cargo traffic decline in 2012

BELGIUM's Liege Airport suffered a 14.5 per cent fall in air freight volumes in 2012 after handling 576,664 tonnes, compared to the previous year. The cargo traffic decrease was blamed on a drop in charter flights and a decline in the activity of Southern Air.

The results come amid plans by the airport authorities to invest EUR10 million (US$13.3 million) in 2013 to improve facilities for cargo services at Liege Airport. In the north cargo zone, a new freight handling area will be built on a 6,500-square-metre site, as well as a new border inspection post, reports the UK's Transport Intelligence.

The global economic crisis, and in particular the situation on the European market, has had an impact on the tonnage transported. This decrease of traffic can be mainly put down to the following elements: the decrease in charter flights and the significant decrease in the activity of Southern Air.

Passenger traffic at the airport also fell 1.85 per cent year on year to 303,495 passengers.

The report added that the airport did, however, experience positive developments last year, including the September launch of ACT My Cargo's regular five times a week service to Istanbul; Emirates Skycargo starting three operations a week on the route of: Dubai, Liege. New York (JFK) and Niger Air Cargo also flies from Liege to Niamey. TNT and Israel's CAL are also increasing flights to New York (JFK). Avient setting up regular flights to Erevan and the Caspian Sea region and Ethiopian Airlines is continuing to improve its cargo fleet by introducing two new Boeing 777Fs, which will operate daily out of Liege.