newstodate.aero
Nov 30, 2011 (newstodate): While the Swedish export has performed rather strongly, compared to most European markets, air cargo volumes have developed negatively in 2011.
The economic growth in Sweden was 4.6 percent in this year's Q3, primarily driven by strong increase in exports, but the export cargo volumes continue to decline by two-digit figures.
-The first three months of 2011 generated solid growth in cargo volumes, but after that the trend has been consistently negative. Thanks to the positive performance during the first quarter, we may end up with some 10 percent decrease in Sweden's export cargo volumes, but during the remaining months the trend has rather been around minus 15-20 percent, compared to last year, says Bjorn Kardell, SAS Spirit Sweden managing director.
-The growing discrepancy between economic growth and declining airfreight volumes may indicate a structural change in the industry that requires analysis. Obviously there is a movement away from air transportation to other modes like road and sea, but we do not have a consistent picture of these trends.
-Hi-value items like electronics or pharmaceuticals should probably still require fast air transportation, while garments and textiles may be prone to move from air to sea. Still, a more comprehensive analysis is needed.
-Traditionally, October and November should be a pre-Christmas airfreight peak season, but we have not seen anything like that this year. As we come closer to Christmas the peak would recede, and then traffic would normally not peak again until after the Chinese new year by Feburary/March.
-Any prognosis for 2012 would be highly risky at this stage, says Mr Kardell
The economic growth in Sweden was 4.6 percent in this year's Q3, primarily driven by strong increase in exports, but the export cargo volumes continue to decline by two-digit figures.
-The first three months of 2011 generated solid growth in cargo volumes, but after that the trend has been consistently negative. Thanks to the positive performance during the first quarter, we may end up with some 10 percent decrease in Sweden's export cargo volumes, but during the remaining months the trend has rather been around minus 15-20 percent, compared to last year, says Bjorn Kardell, SAS Spirit Sweden managing director.
-The growing discrepancy between economic growth and declining airfreight volumes may indicate a structural change in the industry that requires analysis. Obviously there is a movement away from air transportation to other modes like road and sea, but we do not have a consistent picture of these trends.
-Hi-value items like electronics or pharmaceuticals should probably still require fast air transportation, while garments and textiles may be prone to move from air to sea. Still, a more comprehensive analysis is needed.
-Traditionally, October and November should be a pre-Christmas airfreight peak season, but we have not seen anything like that this year. As we come closer to Christmas the peak would recede, and then traffic would normally not peak again until after the Chinese new year by Feburary/March.
-Any prognosis for 2012 would be highly risky at this stage, says Mr Kardell