Frankfurt airport, Europe’s biggest air freight hub, cut working hours last month for around 500 cargo workers amid continuing sharp declines in cargo volumes. Fraport AG, Frankfurt’s owner, said hours at its Fraport Cargo Services will be reduced by about 20 per cent for between two and three months. Frankfurt has been hard hit by the downturn on the global air cargo market, with freight traffic in January slumping 23.5 per cent from a year ago following successive double … [Read more...] about Frankfurt cuts working hours

Malaysia has reversed its decision on building a new low-cost air terminal, after last month rejecting budget carrier, AirAsia’s plan to build and operate a 1.6 billion ringgit (US$432 million) budget terminal amid concerns it may undermine the main Kuala Lumpur International (KLIA) airport. It subsequently said it has allocated 2 billion ringgit (US$540 million) to build a new low-cost terminal near the main airport as part of a massive economic stimulus package. To be built by … [Read more...] about Malaysia reverses decision on new LC terminal

Britain’s largest airports group saw cargo traffic plunged more than 20 per cent in February. BAA, which operates seven UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh and Glasgow, said that its total UK cargo volumes had fallen by 21.4 per cent during February compared with the same month a year ago to 119,984 tonnes. BAA said the steep declines were a result of the current economic environment with a spokesman also blaming “adverse weather conditions” … [Read more...] about BAA cargo dives 21 per cent in Feb

Britain’s Competition Commission has ruled that BAA must sell three of its airports - Gatwick, Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow – within two years. The ruling is a result of its market inquiry in which it found adverse effects from competition problems for both passengers and carriers at all seven of BAA’s UK airports. Inquiry chairman Christopher Clarke says the commission could find no alternative except divestiture to the “complete absence of … [Read more...] about BAA forced to sell three UK airports

British Airways World Cargo (BAWC) has chosen to continue operating its longhaul freighter network from London Stansted, following a tender process, which saw BAWC evaluate what it said were a number of options, including a possible relocation to Kent International Airport. “After careful evaluation and taking into account a number of factors including the need to provide the best product for our customers, cost effectiveness, service quality and speed of connection, Stansted remains … [Read more...] about BA World Cargo keeps Stansted freighter hub

Germany is set to drop plans to privatise state-owned air traffic control firm Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS),Reuters reported. Quoting the weekly German news magazine Der Spiegel, the report said the German cabinet would formally abandon the bid, which had already been blocked by President Horst Koehler in 2006. Koehler angered Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government by refusing to sign a law that would have enabled the sale of 74.9 per cent of DFS, arguing the move was … [Read more...] about Germany drops ATC privatisation bid