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Airlines to Lose Billions as Cargo Returns
IATA says its member airlines have lost a total of $49.1 billion since the beginning of the decade and are set to lose a further $5.6 billion in 2010.
The association is forecasting a seven percent growth in cargo next year to 37.7 million tons carried, up from a five percent forecast last September, following an overall 13 percent decline in 2009. Cargo yields are expected to improve by 0.9 percent in 2010.
IATA says North American carriers will reduce their collective losses by $900 million to $2.0 billion in 2010.
In Europe, airlines will continue to make the largest losses in any region at $2.5 billion. This is an improvement over the $3.5 billion loss they will post by the end of this year.
Asia-Pacific carriers are forecast to lose just $700 million in 2010 compared to minus $3.4 billion in 2009. IATA cites the region's economic recovery for the turnaround as China's GDP is set to grow 9.0 percent in 2010.
IATA suggests Latin American airlines will be the only profitable regional grouping in both 2009 and 2010 with overall profits of $100 million this year. This is largely due to the combination of relatively strong economies and efficiencies gained through regional airline structures.
Middle East carriers are forecast to see their losses shrink from $1.2 billion overall in 2009 to $300 million in 2010.
Despite relatively strong economies and increasingly liberal markets, IATA says African airlines will lose $100 million in 2010 - consistent with a $100 million loss this year.
Source: Air Cargo World
http://www.aircargoworld.com/News/Airlines-To-Lose-Billions-As-Cargo-Returns
Lack of Communication Cited in Cargo Lapses
The inspector general said the TSA found over 2,640 security violations between Oct. 2007 and June 2008. Of that number, 1,655 were due to a lack of training and verification, according to the report.
Brandon Fried, executive director of the AfA said, "While the findings in the DHS inspector general report are concerning to our members, these issues are the very ones that forwarders have raised in the past. I am hopeful that this report and its recommendations will enhance security throughout the chain of custody for cargo transportation."
Fried noted that there are multiple layers of security in place to prevent questionable cargo from being loaded on passenger planes and the chain of custody security is improving daily. "We are confident that shippers, forwarders, air carriers and agents will continue to improve upon their existing practices and procedures to ensure all cargo is screened thoroughly," he added.
The Airforwarders Association said it will continue to work closely with the TSA to ensure "there are solutions in place to address the shortcomings" described in the DHS report. By August 2010, all passenger aircraft entering or leaving the U.S. will be subject to 100 percent cargo screening.
Source: Air Cargo World
http://www.aircargoworld.com/News/December-2009/Lack-Of-Communication-Cited-In-Cargo-Lapses
Cargo Traffic Jumps at BAA
U.K. airport operator reports second straight monthly gain
BAA said cargo traffic at its seven U.K. airports rose 6.2 percent in November from a year earlier, the second successive monthly rise that ended a 14-month run of declines.
The November increase marked a significant improvement over the 1.5 percent year-to-year growth in October, the first gain since August 2008.
BAA's freight traffic totaled 151,784 metric tons in November, taking volume for the first 11 months of the year to 1.4 million tons, 11.3 percent lower than in the corresponding period in 2008.
London Heathrow, Europe's fourth-largest cargo hub after Frankfurt, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam, boosted traffic by 4.9 percent to 123,439 tons for an 11-month total of 1.6 million tons, down 10.9 percent.
London Stansted, a freighter and express hub, boosted volume by 7.3 percent to 17,745 tons, leaving January-November shipments 9.6 percent lower at 167,730 tons.
London Gatwick booked a 5.2 percent increase to 8,017 tons, the first monthly gain after a 37.2 percent slump in the first 10 months of the year. This was Gatwick's final contribution as BAA has sold London's second-largest airport to Global Infrastructure Partners for $2.5 billion.
Source: Journal of Commerce
http://www.joc.com/node/415181
Frankfurt, Lufthansa Post Air Cargo Gains
Strong November is latest indication of industry recovery
Frankfurt airport handled 7 percent more freight in November than a year earlier, the second successive monthly gain that was driven by surging intra-European shipments.
Further proof of a fledgling recovery in air cargo came in Lufthansa Cargo's November freight volume, which rose 0.5 percent from a year earlier in the first monthly gain since the summer of 2008.
Frankfurt, Europe's biggest air cargo hub, handled 188,596 metric tons in November, leaving traffic in the first 11 months of the year down 12.8 percent at approximately 1.7 million tons.
"This is also very good when you consider that we were experiencing declines in air freight of up to 30 percent at the beginning of the year," said Stefan Schulte, chairman of Frankfurt owner Fraport.
The November increase, driven by an 18 percent jump in European traffic, followed a modest 0.7 percent rise in October, the first monthly gain since June 2008 and further indication of a recovery in the decimated air cargo industry.
Fraport's total cargo traffic, including airports in Bulgaria, Turkey and Peru, rose 6 percent in November to 192,799 tons, leaving volume in the first 11 months 12.3 percent lower than the 2008 period at 1.92 million tons.
Frankfurt's passenger traffic was 0.2 percent lower in November at 3.9 million and 5.3 percent down on the first 11 months at 47.1 million.
"Traffic during the past month has impressively confirmed a clear growth trend and has even partly exceeded our expectations," Schulte said. Rising traffic "is a clear indicator that we have emerged from the trough of the recession."
Lufthansa handled 145,000 tons of cargo in November, bringing cargo in the first 11 months of the year to nearly 1.4 million tons, down 12.7 percent from a year earlier.
The November increase followed a 4 percent drop in October, the third consecutive month of single-digit declines following steep declines earlier in the year.
Lufthansa cut capacity in November by 4.7 percent from a year earlier, including grounding four of its 19 MD-11 freighters. That boosted the load factor by 4.4 percentage points to 70.8 percent, which the carrier attributed to a recovery in Asian shipments.
Source: Journal of Commerce
http://www.joc.com/node/415180
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