NEWSWEEK Euro airports record luke-warm growth A


irports Council International (ACI) Europe has released its monthly traffic report for July, with freight traffic recording a 1.2 per cent increase at European airports. Director general of ACI Europe, Olivier Jankovec,


says: “These figures, while slightly improving, continue to be dis- appointing – with the pace of air traffic recovery in Europe being almost anaemic.” The breakdown of these figures shows a reverse to the belief that full freighters are on the way out against a combined approach to airfreight. Cargo-only movements rose 1.6 per cent, against a 0.2 per cent year-on-year decline in passenger and freight combined movements. “This reflects modest improvements in consumer and busi- ness confidence as well as unemployment recorded for July and further illustrates the fact that the pace of economic recovery is extremely slow and uneven across the continent,” adds Jankovec. Norway’s Oslo Gardermoen International Airport saw the


greatest surge in airfreight movements, up 33.8 per cent against July 2012. Also posting substantial growth was Istanbul Ataturk International Airport, reporting a 15.7 per cent upturn, and Mos-


cow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, which reported an increase of 26.2 per cent. While Ataturk provided Istanbul with impressive figures for the month, the decline of freight movements at its second airport, Sabiha Gökçen International, reached a 98 per cent year-on-year decline.


All of London’s airports polled reported a freight decline, with


the greatest dip recorded by Luton Airport, which dropped 7.4 per cent year-on-year. In total, 171 airports in Europe were included in the report.


Air Seychelles’ sees surge in cargo growth


AIR SEYCHELLES cargo results for the second quarter of 2013 skyrocketed against 2012’s figures, with the carrier reporting a 282 per cent increase in cargo tonnage. In total, 1.4 million tonnes were carried in the three- month period, against 383,000 tonnes during the same period in 2012.


As a result of this surge in volumes, revenue for the carri- er’s cargo business also grew significantly, up 279 per cent year-on-year. Revenue for the second quarter hit $3.68 million, against $968,967 in 2012.


Chief executive officer for Air Seychelles, Cramer Ball, says: “This has been a transformative year for Air Sey- chelles. Our recent Skytrax ranking is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. The new rankings have served as a catalyst to progress further our mission to be the best airline in the Indian Ocean. We are aiming higher now, for a four-star Skytrax rating, which will put Air Seychelles on the same level as some of the world’s most renowned airlines.”


The carrier’s first-half cargo performance also record- ed similar gains, with tonnage increasing by 217 per cent year-on-year resulting in a 204 per cent revenue upturn, bringing in $5.32 million against $1.75 million in 2012. A statement released by the carrier attributed this astounding growth to the boost in underfloor capacity pro- vided by the arrival of the carrier’s second Airbus A330. The aircraft connects Hong Kong to Johannesburg (South Africa) via Abu Dhabi as well as markets in Paris and Milan (Italy).


“The airline also introduced a domestic cargo product in


May, providing a convenient new option for sending pack- ages within the archipelago,” an Air Seychelles spokesman adds.


Seychelles’s minister for home affairs and transport


and chairman of Air Seychelles, Joel Morgan, says: “The half-year performance of our national airline has exceeded expectations. Since December, we have modernised and signed 15 air service agreements, including Hong Kong, Australia and South Africa.”


2 ACW 9 SEPTEMBER 2013


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