The positive growth trend in air freight at Vienna Airport since the beginning of the year continued in the second quarter of 2024: From January to the end of June, 141,118 tonnes of air freight were handled at Vienna Airport. This corresponds to an increase of 20,861 tonnes or 17% compared to the previous year. This figure is also 4% above the pre-pandemic level. Pharmaceutical handling also continued to increase: In the first half of the year, 1,825 tonnes or 8.2% more were handled at the airport. Freight volumes also continued to increase in July 2024: With 24,808 tonnes of air freight, the airport recorded an increase of 21.1% compared to the previous year.
This positive development is underpinned by growth in passenger traffic, which creates additional capacity for belly cargo in airlines’ cargo holds. The tonnage of belly cargo increased by 47% to 57,594 tonnes in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year. In contrast, the volume transported by cargo aircraft fell by 8% to 41,142 tonnes due to capacity growth, the switch to passenger aircraft and one-off effects in the previous year. The increased volume of air freight transported by truck contributed to the strong half-year result with growth of 17% to 42,382 tonnes.
This growth is split equally between imports and exports. 78,029 tonnes of air freight arrived at Vienna Airport for distribution to Austria and the neighboring markets of Central and Eastern Europe. That was 11,004 tonnes or 16 percent more than in the first half of 2023. In the opposite direction, goods with a total weight of 63,089 tonnes landed all over the world via the Vienna air freight hub. That was 9,857 tonnes or 19 percent more than in the same period in 2023.
“Freight volumes are developing excellently. In July 2024, air freight volumes were already higher than in the pre-Corona year of 2019. This shows that our strategy is working. We are relying on innovative logistics solutions, first-class infrastructure and the highest quality of handling. This positive development strengthens our location and underlines our importance as a central hub for global air freight,” says Julian Jäger, COO of Vienna Airport.
“We have continued the positive development since the beginning of the year seamlessly in the second quarter. Demand remains robust, especially on routes to North America and Asia. Vienna Airport offers excellent conditions for handling the growing volume of freight quickly and reliably. The handling services of our Pharma Handling Center are also enjoying stronger demand and are well prepared for further growth,” says Michael Zach, Senior Vice President Ground Handling & Cargo Operations at Flughafen Wien AG.
Growth trend continues in July 2024
The growth trend at Vienna Airport will continue in July 2024: With 24,808 tons of air freight handled, the airport recorded an increase of 21.1% compared to the previous year. The airport thus exceeded the pre-crisis level of 2019 by 12.0%.
