Top 50 Cargo Airports

July 5, 2006 by SwizStick  
Filed under 3PL, Airlines, Misc Logistics, QuickNews

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Air Cargo World has published their list of the top 50 cargo airports in the world. The top 10 airports, based on total cargo tonnage, are as follows:

1. MEMPHIS (MEM) United States 3,598,500 1.2 Main hub and headquarters for FedEx Express
2. HONG KONG (HKG) China 3,437,050 10.1 Third cargo terminal under consideration that Cathay Pacific hopes to develop for self-handling; an Asia hub for DHL and main hub for Cathay Pacific/Dragonair; EVA Air recently opened major cargo center
3. ANCHORAGE (ANC) United States 2,609,498 9.7 Figures include transit cargo; a major trans-Pacific transit point for carriers including FedEx, UPS, Northwest; recently added Korean Air
4. TOKYO NARITA (NRT) Japan 2,290,346 (3.5) Hub for Japan Airlines and gateway for Northwest Airlines Cargo
5. SEOUL INCHEON (ICN) South Korea 2,149,937 0.8 Hub for Korean Air; centerpiece of government plan to foster Asia logistics business
6. FRANKFURT (FRA) Germany 1,963,141 6.7 Hub for Lufthansa Cargo; ranked first among European airports in annual Air Cargo World Excellence survey
7. LOS ANGELES (LAX) United States 1,928,894 1.4 Largest U.S. trans-Pacific gateway; FedEx is largest cargo carrier; Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, EVA and China Airlines are largest international carriers
8. SHANGHAI PUDONG (PVG) China 1,856,328 13.7 China Eastern hub; UPS China base
9. SINGAPORE (SIN) Singapore 1,854,610 3.3 Home to Singapore Airlines
10. LOUISVILLE (SDF) United States 1,814,730 4.3 Main air hub for UPS

Click on the link to get the full report along with pdf files containing the full list of the top 50 cargo airports in the world as well as a regional breakdown for the various continents and a very interesting list of the fastest growing cargo airports in the world. I found this last list very interesting. 8 out of the 20 fastest growing cargo airports were in Asia, 5 from China with double digit growth from airports such as Nanjing and Qingdao. The beginning of the main article points out:

Four of Mainland China’s five largest airports – Shanghai Pudong, Beijing, Guangzho and Shanghai Hong Qiao – expanded at a double-digit rate in 2005, feeding off of a manufacturing explosion in the country that is driving exports to North America and Europe and remaking air trade patterns across Asia.

The fifth of those airports, No. 37 Shenzhen, grew just under 10 percent from 2004 to 2005 as shippers and forwarders worked in the shadow of the world’s busiest international cargo airport, Hong Kong.

But China’s ascent in the air freight picture goes well beyond the most familiar gateways. The country’s spectacular growth is better illustrated deeper in the countryside, where cities such as Xiamen, Chengdu and Nanjing are taking an increasingly prominent role in global supply chains, and in China’s burgeoning domestic air transport market.

Also in the top 20 fastest growing cargo airports was Columbus’ Rickenbacker Airport at number 17 with +15.3% growth at 112,888 of tonnage. We linked to an article mentioning Rickenbacker Airport and the growth of inland ports on Monday.

2007 World Airports Directory

India to focus on cargo-only airports

Top Cargo Airports in Asia

Far East Traffic changing the landscape for East Coast Airports