newstodate.aero
Feb 05, 2010 (newstodate): Lithuania's second-largest international airport, Kaunus Airport has not given up hopes for retrieving a share in the Baltic region's cargo traffic.
-We are, admittedly, still low in cargo volumes, handling only some 2,000 tonnes of cargo in 2009 as has been the case for a few years now, says Arijandas Sliupas, Kaunas Airport general director.
-In 2007 Kaunas Airport however still handled 58 percent of the country's air cargo, generating 6,816 tonnes of cargo, and we have seen volumes up around 10,000 tonnes a year in earlier times.
-We did see some recovery during the last quarter of 2009, though, and hopes are that we will be able to attract freight operators again to win back some of the cargo traffic that is currently going to Estonia's Tallinn Airport.
-We are in talks with some potential carriers, and we would strongly support a cargo airline that would set up business at Kaunas Airport. We never give up hope, says Mr Sliupas.
The battle has its focus on carriers that fly in ex-China exports to Russia via airports in the Baltic region.
Sources differ on opinions over who is actually controlling the direction of this traffic - the Russian importers, the Chinese exporters, the freight forwarders involved, or the freight carriers, notably Turkish companies, that provide the uplift.
-We are, admittedly, still low in cargo volumes, handling only some 2,000 tonnes of cargo in 2009 as has been the case for a few years now, says Arijandas Sliupas, Kaunas Airport general director.
-In 2007 Kaunas Airport however still handled 58 percent of the country's air cargo, generating 6,816 tonnes of cargo, and we have seen volumes up around 10,000 tonnes a year in earlier times.
-We did see some recovery during the last quarter of 2009, though, and hopes are that we will be able to attract freight operators again to win back some of the cargo traffic that is currently going to Estonia's Tallinn Airport.
-We are in talks with some potential carriers, and we would strongly support a cargo airline that would set up business at Kaunas Airport. We never give up hope, says Mr Sliupas.
The battle has its focus on carriers that fly in ex-China exports to Russia via airports in the Baltic region.
Sources differ on opinions over who is actually controlling the direction of this traffic - the Russian importers, the Chinese exporters, the freight forwarders involved, or the freight carriers, notably Turkish companies, that provide the uplift.