Amsterdam Airport Schiphol handled 738,414 tonnes of cargo in the first half of 2024, up 8.7% from the 2023 half-year figures.

In the January to June period, belly cargo grew by 23.3% year-on-year to 305,593 tonnes, following a 12.5% growth in passenger flights.

Despite a 5.4% drop in freighter flights, the full freighter cargo tonnage remains steady at 432,820 tonnes.

"Global trade development as well as geopolitical disruptions have boosted demand for air transport," said Olaf van Reeden, cargo partnerships director at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

He noted that Schiphol connects 303 destinations and is focused on maximizing the use of its ad hoc slots to continue supporting the airport's customers with freighter capacity.

"Working closely with all industry stakeholders, we achieved a 13% growth in freighter capacity," van Reeden added.

Meanwhile, Schiphol said North American and African exports showed the strongest growth at 22% and 26% year-on-year, respectively.

Inbound cargo from the Middle East and Europe grew by 19% and 20%, respectively.