Since the early 1900s, air cargo has been a fundamental part of the world’s supply chain. Air freight is the safest, fastest and most efficient form of exporting and importing goods internationally; it is, however, also the most expensive. The demand for air cargo has grown steadily year on year, In 2017 demand grew by 3.6%. and it has been predicted by ICAO.int that demand for air cargo services will grow by 2.9% in the next decade and 6.2% in the next 25 years. Here at Tudor International Freight, we’ve had a look at some of the world’s busiest cargo airports:
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Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), Chek Lap Kok, China:
Located on the miniature Island Chek Lap Kok, off the coast of Hong Kong, this airport is the world’s leading airport for cargo transporting 5.1 million tons of air freight per annum. Distinctive in nature, the facility is home to ‘SuperTerminal1’ which is the largest multi-storey air cargo facility on earth. This airport receives imports and exports from most airline agents worldwide, including FedEx, UPS and Cathy Pacific. All of this and more is a large contributor as to why Asia is responsible for 36.1% of the worlds GDP exports and imports per annum.
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Ted Stevens International (ANC), Alaska:
This airport is named after Alaska’s late Senator of State; Theodore Stevens who died in a plane crash in 2010. It is to be noted that much of ANC’s success is to be credited to the fortunate and strategic location of the airport, providing a link between the east and west hemisphere; the facility is located roughly in the middle of all common markets.
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Memphis International Airport (MEM), Tennessee:
Ranked the 2nd busiest terminal for air cargo in the world and the 1st busiest in the western hemisphere, MEM handles 4.47 million metric tonnes of air cargo per year. FedEx, the world’s leading exporting giant, handles 99% of all cargo passing through MEM and have their organisation’s HQ established there.
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Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Germany:
Europe’s busiest central airport and serving as the main hub for 4 separate international airlines, FRA has a freight average of 2.076 million metric tonnes per annum. Similarly to the ANC in Alaska, FRA’s location is an advantage to its success providing landlocked areas an exceptional facility complimented by easy access to two major motorways (A3 and A5). The airport is predicted to become even busier in later years as plans for 2020 reveal a new terminal with enough space for 75 more aircraft at any given time.
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Dubai International Airport (DXB), UAE:
Serving the United Arab Emirate, DXB is the 3rd busiest cargo airport in the world exporting and importing an average of 2.65 million metric tonnes of cargo per annum. Their cargo facility is built to manage a maximum of 3 million metric tonnes of cargo per annum, however, the data suggests that since 2006 the influx of air freight passing through DXB has increased by 1.2 million tonnes per annum; with this logic, another terminal may soon be needed in the next decade to keep up with inflation. Although the facility is 3rd busiest for cargo freight, it is actually 1st in the world for passenger traffic. DXB is so large, in fact, that it provides the area with 400,000 jobs and makes an annual contribution of UK£20.48 billion to the area’s economy.
If you have any questions or queries regarding air freight, we are always happy to help. Please, contact our team at: sales@tudorfreight.com