newstodate.aero
Jun 18, 2018 (newstodate): Denmark's Billund Airport is seeing the volume of ad-hoc freighter operations almost unchanged - but over-all the market has changed.
-We will be handling some 20 ad-hoc cargo charter operations in 2018, roughly the same as in the preceding year, but we are seeing the market changing, says Jan Ditlevsen, Billund Airport VP Cargo.
-The availability of belly capacity on passenger flights has increased significantly, reducing the need for ad-hoc freighter flights except, of course, for transportation of large off-size shipments.
-Another major contributor to earlier days' ad-hoc freighter operations was uplift of humanitarian and relief shipments. Today, these operations are most often performed from regional locations rather than from large international centers requiring complex ad-hoc freighter operations.
-Military operations were also driving much ad-hoc cargo traffic, but today the world is seeing fewer acute war zone operations with a diversity of military participants requiring uplift of equipment in complex air logistics solutions, and the SALIS cooperation took over most of this traffic.
-Despite these changes, Billund Airport is thriving on niches, first of all uplift by air of live animals. We have built up a unique expertise in handling of these operations and invested in staff and a dedicated infrastructure to cater to the needs of this type of traffic with a focus on animal welfare and care.
-So despite a change in the ad-hoc freighter market with a decline in number of operations there is still a role to play for airports that identify their niches and build up special expertise, competencies and infrastructure, says Mr Ditlevsen
-We will be handling some 20 ad-hoc cargo charter operations in 2018, roughly the same as in the preceding year, but we are seeing the market changing, says Jan Ditlevsen, Billund Airport VP Cargo.
-The availability of belly capacity on passenger flights has increased significantly, reducing the need for ad-hoc freighter flights except, of course, for transportation of large off-size shipments.
-Another major contributor to earlier days' ad-hoc freighter operations was uplift of humanitarian and relief shipments. Today, these operations are most often performed from regional locations rather than from large international centers requiring complex ad-hoc freighter operations.
-Military operations were also driving much ad-hoc cargo traffic, but today the world is seeing fewer acute war zone operations with a diversity of military participants requiring uplift of equipment in complex air logistics solutions, and the SALIS cooperation took over most of this traffic.
-Despite these changes, Billund Airport is thriving on niches, first of all uplift by air of live animals. We have built up a unique expertise in handling of these operations and invested in staff and a dedicated infrastructure to cater to the needs of this type of traffic with a focus on animal welfare and care.
-So despite a change in the ad-hoc freighter market with a decline in number of operations there is still a role to play for airports that identify their niches and build up special expertise, competencies and infrastructure, says Mr Ditlevsen