
Cargo volume in the Middle East grew by 20%, while the number of flights to this continent decreased by 15%.
Underlying there is an increase in the number of full freighter flights of 18.1% and a decrease in the number of passenger flights of -22%. The result of this is an increase in the full freighter volume of 32.8% and a (limited) decrease in the cargo belly volume of -0.8%;
Due to instabilities in the Middle East, flying has significantly decreased to some countries with its effect on belly freight. However, in the full freighter segment the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in particular are growing. The share of these 2 countries in the number of flights to and from the Middle East grew from 49% to 65%. Volume wise, they count for 83%.
The cargo volume to and from the Far East grows by 12%. This means that the Far East is growing at about the same rate as Africa (14%), Central South America (11%) and North America (11%). However, the figures for the Far East reflect the direct flights to Amsterdam, hence transfer cargo on Middle Eastern airports is excluded.
Increased frequencies to HongKong, South Korea and Indonesia also lead to an increase in cargo volume.
Africa saw a comparable growth, but the number of flights on this continent are stable, with Kenya and South Africa being the dominant countries.