Indonesia cargo crash kills six All six people aboard an Aviastar BAe 146-300 cargo aircraft ware dead after the aircraft carrying elections materials crashed last week in the mountainous area of Indonesia's eastern Papua province. The plane was attempting to land at Wamena Airport, wich is situated at the Baliem Valley with an airport elevation of 5,085 ft. and surrounded by mountains up to 12,000 ft. high. Indonesia, which relies heavily on air links across the archipelago, has one of Asia's … [Read more...] about Indonesia cargo crash kills six
Airports
Düsseldorf eyes move into perishable business
Düsseldorf International Airport is looking to the perishables sector to boost cargo growth citing continued healthy growth of the sector and the large catchment area of the North Rhine Westphalia region, with Düsseldorf at its heart, in all accounting for around 20 per cent of Germany's total spending power. "The Perishables market continues to grow despite economic downturn, with many of the products such as fruit, established as staple food items rather than luxury," said DUS Cargo … [Read more...] about Düsseldorf eyes move into perishable business
US freight index shows further March decline
A key measure of industrial shipping in the US has shown a further 3.5 per cent decline from February to March after offering a glimmer of hope in February when it showed its first fractional gain in six months. The Cass Freight Index for shipments declined 22 per cent in March from the same period a year earlier. Freight transportation spending also turned negative after a slim month-to-month gain in February. The measure of expenditures fell 2.1 per cent from February to March and was down a … [Read more...] about US freight index shows further March decline
Redoubt ash disrupts Anchorage flights
Volcanic activity at Mount Redoubt - about 180 kilometres southwest of Anchorage, Alaska - since 22 March has seen eruptions sending plumes of steam and ash up to 50,000 feet skyward forcing some air cargo flights destined for technical stops at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to be diverted elsewhere. The last time Mount Redoubt erupted, in December 1989, the mountain shot ash more than 12,000 metres high and caught a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight in its plume, shutting down all … [Read more...] about Redoubt ash disrupts Anchorage flights
Cargo drops level off at LAX
Cargo drops level off at LAX Precipitous cargo declines at Los Angeles International Airport have leveled off after four straight months of declines of more than 20 per cent as the airport's freight operations suffered under collapsing exports out of Asia. February's 23.1 per cent drop, year-on-year, in tonnage also marks the seventh straight month of double-digit declines at the US' largest transpacific air cargo gateway. The February figure was however, slightly better than the 24.5 per cent … [Read more...] about Cargo drops level off at LAX
Decline continues for European carriers
Air cargo has "all but collapsed," according to the Association of European Airlines (AEA), who said traffic volumes were down by around a fifth for the first two months of the year, the worst figures on record. Passenger traffic plunged nearly 5 per cent in the first two months of the year and could fall another 10 per cent in March as the economic downturn continues. It said it would normally expect a 4 per cent to 5 per cent increase in traffic "so current levels are approaching 10 per cent … [Read more...] about Decline continues for European carriers