newstodate.aero

May 27, 2021 (newstodate): Denmark's Aalborg Airport, in the north of the country's Jutland peninsula, is seldom in the spotlight as to cargo operations.
   But on May 26, 2021, the airport was handling a major all-cargo operation, chartered and managed by Blue Water, comprising one Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ER all-cargo flight flying in with 60 tonnes of cargo from Malaysia and returning to Abu Dhabi with 50 tonnes of exports, succeeded today by one TUI Boeing 787 all-cargo flight with another 30 tonnes of shipments sourced from Malaysia.
   Both flights carry PPE ordered by the local company Stadsing A/S for delivery to the regional health agency and other customers, with shipments to be taken directly from the airport into local terminals for storage.
   -We are actually quite accustomed to cargo handling, albeit mostly concerning smaller aircraft, says Niels Hemmingsen, Aalborg Airport CEO since November 2020.
   -We have the infrastructure and GSE equipment for cargo handling of smaller aircraft, while the handling of the Boeing 777 with shipments in both belly and the passenger deck requires also the improvised use of catering vehicles.
   -So far, air cargo has admittedly played a little exposed role in the airport's business, but we are in the final stages of completing a major strategic overview of the potentials in cooperation with Rambol as consultant. This will result in a new strategy seeing cargo as a key complement to our core business, which will remain passenger, including charter, air traffic in the future.
   -In any case, revenues from cargo will support the profitability of a passenger-driven route, allowing an airline to operate profitably even at lower load factors on thinner routes, says Mr Hemmingsen.