ACI EUROPE, European airport trade body released their traffic report for May. The reports stated a decline in major international freight hubs in combination with a weak growth in airfreight.The report is the only air transport report which includes all types of civil aviation passenger flights: full service, low cost and charter.

Total airfreight went down y-o-y with 1.3%. From the 30 largest airports in cargo volumes, 15 of them reported a dip in freight volumes in relation to the previous year. Both CDG in Paris and MIA in Miami encountered significant  declines with 7.6% and 5.7% respectively.

Meanwhile, Non-EU airports posted a lower but improved rate of passenger traffic growth compared to previous months (+5.0%). In stark contrast to the passenger figures, freight traffic across the European airport network was down -0.4% – reflecting the relative weakness of economic growth in the EU, the continued impact of sanctions on Russia as well more structural factors.

Director General, ACI EUROPE, Mr. Olivier Jankovec, commented Aircraft movements were up +1.4%. EU passenger traffic continues to perform strongly, led by airports in Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Belgium, Spain and Hungary – as well as smaller markets including Slovenia, Croatia, Malta and Luxembourg. Greece in particular has been a top performer for more than 12 months, with passenger traffic consistently achieving double digit growth. However, the current situation in the country is now causing a decrease in forward bookings – an indication that this dynamic trend is unlikely to persist, at least in the short-term.

This may lead to part of the leisure demand moving to other markets.” He added “Non-EU passenger traffic is posting its best growth rate this year so far, despite figures generally decreasing at Russian airports. The improvement is mainly driven by airports in Turkey, Iceland and Georgia, as well as the return of growth in Ukraine.”

The Middle East outpaced Asia-Pacific routes with 4.4% versus 1.6% increases in cargo volumes while the North and Latin America’s reported 1.1% increase in total traffic.

Africa reported optimistic figures with a 10.3% increase with ta total cargo growth of 9.4% and 15.9% in JNB (Johannesburg) and CMN (Casablanca.