Today we are going to take a look and see which are the busiest cargo-handling airports in Asia, Europe, and North America. While there are airports that are geared more towards handling air freight than passengers, they are not necessarily the largest cargo handlers, as all major international airports have a cargo facility.
The world became much more aware of air freight in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. While countries closed their borders and imposed quarantines, the number of people flying slowed down to a trickle. However, because of the need to transport Personal protective equipment (PPE) and later vaccines, the use of aircraft to transport goods increased rapidly.
Now that the pandemic is over, air freight traffic is still high as consumers prefer to go shopping over the Internet rather than on the high street or at malls. E-commerce is the big driver of air freight these days and shows no signs of decreasing anytime soon.
Earlier, we mentioned airports that prioritized air freight over passengers. The main reason for this is their strategic location close to major road and rail networks. Prime examples of these types of airports include the following:
- Liège Airport (LGG) in Belgium
- Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ) in Germany
- Zaragoza Airport (ZAZ) in Spain
- Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) near Columbus, Ohio in the USA
- Rockford International Airport (RFD) near Chicago in the USA
- Ezhou Huahu Airport (EHU) in China
In 2021 airlines and air freight operators carried a record 125 million metric tons of cargo, a year-over-year increase of 15.4%. According to data provided by the Airports Council International (ACI), the following is a list of the busiest cargo-handling airports in Asia, Europe, and North America.
Asia
Not only was Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) the largest cargo airport in Asia it was also the largest worldwide. In 2021 Hong Kong Airport handled 5,025,495 metric tons of cargo, a 12.5% increase on 2020.
In second place was Shanghai Pudong Airport, with 3,982,616 metric tons in 2021, an 8% increase on 2020.
Coming in their place in Asia was Incheon International Airport (ICN) in South Korea. In 2021 Incheon handled 3,329,292 metric tons of cargo, an increase of 18% on 2020.
Europe
The busiest airport for air freight in Europe was Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Germany. In 2021 Frankfurt Airport handled 2,274,969 metric tons of cargo, an increase of 18.8% compared to 2020.
In second place was Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in France. In 2021 Charles de Gaulle Airport handled 2,062,433 metric tons of cargo, an increase of 18.1% compared to 2020.
The third place is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) in the Netherlands. During 2021 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol handled 1,680,584 metric tons of cargo, an increase of 15.4% compared to 2020.
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North America
The busiest airport for handling air freight and the second busiest worldwide was Memphis International Airport (MEM) in Tennessee. As the global base for FedEx in 2021, Memphis International Airport handled 4,480,465 a decrease of 2.9% compared to 2020.
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) in Alaska comes in second after handling 3,555,160 metric tons of cargo. Because of its strategic location between North America and Asia, ANC is fast becoming a central E-commerce hub. Compared to 2020, ANC saw an increase in cargo of 12.6% in 2021.
The third-busiest airport in North America for air freight was Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) in Kentucky. As a global hub for UPS in 2021, SDF handled 3,052,269 metric tons, an increase of 4.6% compared to 2020.
Of all the worldwide airports on the list, the most significant change in the top 20 rankings was Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD). In 2019 ORD was in 18th place, but by 2021, it had moved up to 11th with 2,536,576 metric tons, an increase of 26.7% compared to 2020.
Source: ACI