Blog

Annual traffic results published by VINCI Airports show that London Gatwick Airport served 32.8 million passengers in 2022, which represents 71% of pre-pandemic (2019) numbers. This follows the airport welcoming only 6.3 million passengers in 2021.

Gatwick Airport’s strong recovery is further evidenced by its increased long-haul connectivity, with the airport now serving 42 global routes – 68% the number flown pre-pandemic.

2022 saw its fair share of challenges within the logistics industry, as the UK continued to navigate post-pandemic life and the government underwent reforms.

As the economy returned to a new normal, air cargo has proved its value as a key link in keeping the country’s supply chain intact, but has also created opportunities and enabled expansions in international trading.

It is almost the end of the first month of 2023 and the air cargo conference merry-go-round is already in full swing – proffering succulent food and bubbly to be quaffed at glamorous venues around the world, whilst deals/agreements and partnerships are finalised in ante rooms and bars.

European Cargo, a Bournemouth, UK-based A340F operator, has been busy. David Kerr, formerly head of Etihad Cargo, became a director of the carrier in August last year, and has now announced he will be “supporting and enabling the team at European Cargo with their new mandate and delivering exceptional results for shareholders European Aviation and Priority 1”

The air cargo industry is holding its own given the economic pressures it faced last year and despite a consistent drop in demand.

According to the latest industry analysis by Xeneta-owned CLIVE Data Services, in December, chargeable weight fell 8% year on year and the general airfreight spot rate registered its largest year on year decline of 35%. Capacity in December 2022 recovered to 93% of the 2019 level.

THE GLOBAL air logistics sector continues to face turbulent market conditions, writes Nigel Tomkins. But, after three years in crisis mode, “a normalising market” is now in sight, according to European freighter and belly-hold airline Lufthansa Cargo.

IATA and Airlines for Europe (A4E) urged European Union (EU) Transport Ministers to agree to recommendations for European air traffic management (ATM), which will deliver specific environmental improvements and submit ATM’s performance to review from an independent regulatory authority.

The CEOs of several major air cargo operators in recent weeks conveyed an optimistic outlook for 2023, yet they also acknowledged that the year will not likely yield the bumper performance the sector realized in 2021 and 2022.

Despite the softening freight market indicators for this year, “it is not all bad news” as most indicators will remain above pre-pandemic levels, Matters stressed. IATA expects cargo revenues to decline to around $149 billion in 2023, from around $200 billion in 2022, but remain “about 50 percent higher than the pre-pandemic level of 2019,” he said. The group also expects cargo’s share of industrywide revenue to further ease to 19 percent—down from 28 percent in 2022 and the peak of 40 percent in 2021—compared with a 12 percent share in 2019.

Dronamics has garnered a €2.5m ($2.6m) grant from the EC’s European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator programme for its drone cargo technology.

For a 350kg load, Dronamics claims, its Black Swan drone could produce as little as 135g of CO2 per tonne-km, compared with with 755g for belly freight on a 747-400 aircraft.