Cologne airport (CGN) said it will strengthen its general cargo business by convincing additional cargo carriers to serve the Rhine airport. “Presently, about 90 percent of our total tonnage consists of express shipments which are being flown mostly at night times,” said CGN’s general manager Michael Garvens. “However, for a better utilisation of our infrastructure we are keen to attract additional cargo airlines to fly here,” he added.

The first encouraging results of this strategic approach are evidenced by the two weekly flights which British Airways WorldCargo has started recently with leased B747Fs. While one flight connects Cologne with Shanghai, the other operates to Hong Kong. Furthermore, Turkish capacity provider MNG Airlines has started return flights Istanbul-Cologne four times per week with an A300F.

Despite these positive developments, dark clouds are hanging over Cologne’s skies as DHL has decided to move its operations from Cologne to its new hub at Leipzig/Halle airport in Saxony next fall. Consequently, DHL’s route joint venture partner, Lufthansa Cargo is shifting also some of its MD-11 freighters to Leipzig. This will happen by the end of October when the winter schedule starts. “We lose as much as 200,000 tonnes of air freight due to DHL’s departure,” commented Garvens. Last year CGN reported a throughput of 698,000 tonnes, an increase of 7 percent compared to 2005.

Apart from job cuts, the airport management has reacted with the announcement of a cost savings programme for the months to come. However, this will not affect the expenditure of 22 million euros for a new cargo centre of 14,500 sqm which is scheduled to be operational in May or June next year. “ Furthermore, there are indications that integrator Federal Express might shift some of their traffic from Frankfurt to Cologne. If that happens, it would compensate for much of the losses in the express segment CGN is facing due to DHL’s forthcoming departure. – Heiner Siegmund