Top ten European cargo hubs

Brussels Airport

Brucargo, the dedicated cargo handling area of Brussels Airport, is effectively an airfreight city in its own right. Linked to the passenger aircraft stands via a tunnel under the runways, the hub experienced a cargo handling of 719,560 metric tonnes in 2006.

Currently more than 170 cargo agencies are located at Brucargo, supported by 24/7 customs and a range of security measures. All carriers have a choice of handling companies, cargo agents, trucking companies and airlines, in order for a swift shipment process. Amongst the cargo operators that count Brucargo as their European hub are Saudi Arabian Airlines, Eva Air and Singapore Airlines, and it also hosts operations for mail, courier and express cargo companies.

Plans for a perishables centre are currently underway, with the proposed cold storage and handling facility hoping to be the first of its kind in Europe. The hub's ability to handle special goods in dedicated warehouse circumstances, such as live animals and high value products, is likelt to be a key assets.

Brucargo's geographical location is particularly beneficial for subsequent trucking of goods across Belguim, through access to a dense highway network that includes Europe's largest motorway interchange, situated less than 1km away. It is also within proximity to Brussels city centre, located 15 minutes travelling distance from Brucargo, while Antwerp, one of the largest seaports in the region, is only 30 minutes away, alongside international railway connections.

London Heathrow

Handling 1.3 million tonnes of cargo last year, Heathrow's Cargo Village is currently ranked fourth biggest in Europe. Located on the southern side of the airport and to the west of terminal 4, the cargo hub measures approximately 24 hectares and is home to BA World Cargo (BAWC).

BAWC currently has three facilities at Cargo Village, having only opened a US$30 million purpose built handling facility called Premia last year. The latest hub increased BAWC's handling capacity by 67%, mainly used for handling of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry products, in addition to expanding its express mail operations.

The heart of BAWC's network, however, is Ascentis, a cargo handling facility that has the capacity to handle 800,000 tonnes of cargo a year. Measuring 83,000m2 and featuring the latest technology, it is the core of BAWC's activity.

Complementing Ascentis is PHC, a perishables centre capable of handling 8 million punnets of soft fruit a year.

The facility also possesses labelling, store tray assembly and quality control inspection features.

Madrid-Barajas Airport

Following the formation of Centros Logísticos Aeroportuarios S.A. (Clasa), a subsidiary of Aena that promotes the development of air cargo activity in the network of Spanish airports, Madrid-Barajas air cargo centre began business in 1994. Based at Madrid-Barajas International Airport, Spain's most important international and domestic airport, it is located northeast of the city's centre. Barajas serves as a gateway for Europe and the rest of the world, particularly Latin America, to the Iberian Peninsula.

A general service building constitutes up to 95% of the cargo centre, with over 200 companies currently operating there. A second stage of development is planned, which includes the creation of a new logistic area with additional open storage space.

The focus for Madrid-Barajas cargo centre lies on the consolidation of routes from and to Latin America and the creation of new routes to and from the Middle East. This has been symbolised by Clasa's participation in key industry trade fairs and forums.

Frankfurt Airport

Frankfurt remains Europe's largest freight airport. Handling a total of 2,127,797 tonnes during 2006, its Cargo City ranks in pole position above any other European airport in terms of cargo traffic.

Rapid and constant growth has contributed to this success, with the hub currently taking ownership of an area formerly used by the US military, which will extend its total land area to 141 hectares.

Designed as an intermodal port, the central location of Frankfurt provides a logistical advantage to operators for any European city, including Eastern Europe. Integrated with Frankfurt airport, it provides direct flight services to over 290 destinations around the world, road connections to all European and regional markets and port access to Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Rotterdam. A proposed rail air cargo station will also add the world's first "on-airport" cargo train station.

The Cargo City itself is divided between north and south facilities. The north covers 47.7 hectares encompassing office space and allowing for 20 aircraft positions. The larger South facility measures 70.3 hectares and consists of a cargo centre, a forwarding centre and office space. Allowing for eight aircraft positions, the expansion will see an increase to 14.

Currently, over 250 airlines, carriers and other service providers operate at Cargo City accounting for a total of over 9000 employees. These include freight forwarders such as DHL-Danzas, Kuehne + Nagel, Nippon Express and Panalpina Welttransport. Facilities are available to cater for express cargo, airmail, animals, perishables and hazardous goods.

Malpensa International Airport (Milan)

Malpensa International Airport, which is located approximately 45 kilometres west of Milan, has established itself as Italy's leading facility for airfreight operations. Cargo volumes at the airport have continued to grow over the past five years, reaching 419,128 tonnes of freight in 2006. This figure is expected to rise once again in 2007, with 70,946 tonnes of freight already handled in January and February this year, making Malpensa International Airport one of the fast growing cargo hubs in Europe. The airport's status within the logistics industry received a positive boost following the launch of a dedicated ‘cargo city', which includes a fully automated handling system, capable of processing 650,000 tonnes of freight every year. The system, which is subdivided between the cargo city's north and south buildings, is designed to increase efficiencies in the handling (both packing and unpacking) and storage of increasing cargo volumes, making the process faster and more reliable.

The airfreight facility has received a positive response from the various cargo airlines currently operating at Malpensa International Airport, including the likes of Emirates SkyCargo, Etihad Crystal Cargo, Saudi Arabian Airlines Cargo, Qatar Airways, FedEx, Cargolux, Alitalia, DHL and Polet Airlines.

East Midlands Airport (EMA)

The largest pure cargo and mail only airport in the UK, East Midlands Airport (EMA) has been encouraging the development of its cargo community since its formation in 1965. Its central location in the United Kingdom, means the airport possesses proximity to motorway and trunk roads with direct access to every major city in the country.

Experiencing a 5.1% increase in cargo volumes during 2005; handling 292,993 tonnes, the hub is becoming a hotspot for integrators. Currently, UPS accounts for 20% of EMA's tonnage, with other operators including DHL, Icelandair Cargo, Kalitta Air, Lufthansa Cargo and TNT.

READERS' COMMENTS

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM