newstodate.aero
Jun 08, 2009 (newstodate): As part of its efforts to promote Latvia's Riga Airport as a Baltic cargo hub, freighter aircraft landing charges will be reduced by 75 percent from November this year.
The measure is especially targeting the carriers that today bring ex-China shipments destined for Russia into Estonia's Tallinn Airport for onward transportation.
These loads are currently securing Tallinn Airport's position as the largest cargo airport in the Baltic region - a position Riga Airport now intends to challenge.
It remains to be seen whether the planned reduction in landing charges will move freighter operations to Riga.
-The difference in charges may prove to play a role in the decision about which Baltic point of entry will be preferred, says a Baltic industry source.
-Most of the ex-China exports destined for Russia is flown via Istanbul by carriers including KUZU. 1,336 euro may be the saving on a typical A300 operation by KUZU on the flights from Istanbul to Tallinn which is still significant.
-On other hand, I do not know by how much costs will increase if the full operation requires an extra 300 km trucking to St Petersburg, and how cooperative Latvian customs would be in facilitating the smooth transfer operation at Riga Airport.
-In theory one km of airfreight trucking equals 0.80 euro, and the full load of an A300 freighter can be taken by five trucks.
-But in any case, even this highly theoretic speculation might bring some savings to the operation, he says.
The measure is especially targeting the carriers that today bring ex-China shipments destined for Russia into Estonia's Tallinn Airport for onward transportation.
These loads are currently securing Tallinn Airport's position as the largest cargo airport in the Baltic region - a position Riga Airport now intends to challenge.
It remains to be seen whether the planned reduction in landing charges will move freighter operations to Riga.
-The difference in charges may prove to play a role in the decision about which Baltic point of entry will be preferred, says a Baltic industry source.
-Most of the ex-China exports destined for Russia is flown via Istanbul by carriers including KUZU. 1,336 euro may be the saving on a typical A300 operation by KUZU on the flights from Istanbul to Tallinn which is still significant.
-On other hand, I do not know by how much costs will increase if the full operation requires an extra 300 km trucking to St Petersburg, and how cooperative Latvian customs would be in facilitating the smooth transfer operation at Riga Airport.
-In theory one km of airfreight trucking equals 0.80 euro, and the full load of an A300 freighter can be taken by five trucks.
-But in any case, even this highly theoretic speculation might bring some savings to the operation, he says.