07.04.2005
Number of cargo flights to Asia doubles

The number of large cargo flights between Copenhagen Airport and destinations in Asia has doubled over the past four years.

Korean Air Cargo has just added a fifth weekly frequency between Seoul and Copenhagen (operated by B747s) and Singapore Airlines has five weekly frequencies to Singapore. This brings the total number of B747 cargo flights to Asia to ten a week, compared to five per week at the beginning of 2001.

Each flight carries between 50 and 110 tonnes of cargo from Asia, which is quickly distributed to the final destinations in Northern Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Russia via the airport cargo centre. The final part of the transport is usually handled by trucking.

“The increase in the number of cargo flights to and from Copenhagen is driven by rapid growth in imports from Asia. For a large number of product categories, transport time is the key factor. That is the case with electronics and clothing, which is flown in from Asia in large volumes,” comments Cargo Manager Lars Korup, Copenhagen Airports A/S.

The airport at Kastrup is in keen competition with other European hubs such as Amsterdam and Brussels, whilst the airport in Gothenburg, Sweden, is the largest competitor in Scandinavia.

“The geographic location of Copenhagen Airport as a link between Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Europe together with the good infrastructure in the Øresund region gives us a strong starting point in the cargo business. The operators in the air cargo market are increasingly seeing these advantages,” says Korup.

Last year, more than 335,000 tonnes of cargo passed through Copenhagen Airport.