Schiphol Cargo Throughput Up with Record Air Freight Tonnages for 2016

THE NETHERLANDS – Europe’s third largest air cargo hub, Amsterdam Schiphol, has reported a 2.5% year-on-year growth in 2016 with a record total flown cargo throughput of 1.66 million tonnes. December figures were up 10.4% on the same month in 2015 at 149,000 tonnes. Freight throughput for January to November was 1.51 million tonnes. Asia remains Schiphol’s largest market, with Shanghai, China, the busiest destination, and new direct flights launched to Xi’an and Ningbo, both in China. Cargo Director Jonas van Stekelenburg observed:

“We have launched a number of initiatives to enhance the experience of our pharmaceutical, e-commerce, and perishables customers, and our continued commitment to quality is having positive results. We had a strong start to 2016 due to several new carriers making use of Schiphol, and expansion by existing players, and there was an increase in traffic levels in the second half of the year resulting in a total tonnage that surpassed our expectations, an all-time record of 1.66 million tonnes of cargo.

“The upswing in e-commerce shipments, both inbound and outbound, were a large contributor to the cargo volumes for this market. As a large number of flights now transit Europe en route to China, we can attribute a proportion of the growth in our European figures to the developing Asian market.

The airport says the results are a payoff for Schiphol’s investments aimed at supporting the growth of its prime development markets. The Pharma Gateway Amsterdam initiative, launched in 2016, continues to evolve, with three more members certified with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma).

In addition the Holland Flower Alliance, a collaboration between RoyalFlora Holland, KLM Cargo, and Schiphol Cargo, further solidifies Schiphol’s position as Europe’s premier shipping point for the famous Dutch flower trade.