Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has announced that cargo volumes in the first six months of the year dropped by 9.2% as freighter flights declined during the period.

Full freighter cargo volumes at the main gateway of Netherlands declined by 16.4%, with a decrease of full freighter air transport movements (ATMs) by 14.4%.

Belly cargo volumes, meanwhile, increased by 0.9% and ATMs increased by 3.3%.

The latest data showed that Shanghai remains the top destination for cargo from AAS. It said that despite the ongoing trade tensions with the US, AAS moved 88,481 tonnes of cargo in the first six months of 2019.

Moscow was the second-biggest recipient of cargo from AAS reaching 38,633 tonnes during the period. Total cargo volumes at Schiphol in the mid-year stood at 767,519 tonnes.

“The mid-year figures reflect our expectations for a decrease in overall freighter volume as we continue to face slot scarcity, on top of a weakening of the global air cargo market,” said Bart Pouwels, head of cargo at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

He noted that as a main port for the Netherlands, the airport is "concerned about the negative developments within the air cargo market and the consequences it has for the overall network of our airlines at Schiphol."

“With a decrease of full freighters, we may become less attractive for freight forwarders, as the forwarders need a mix of full freight and belly cargo to operate sustainably. This may result in forwarders leaving Schiphol and the airport becoming less attractive for airlines as belly cargo contributes significantly to certain routes," Pouwels added.

So, the consequence may be that the network may be impacted as well.

The mid-year figures also revealed a decrease in volumes across all markets, apart from small increases in North America outbound and the Middle East inbound.

Schiphol said the biggest drops were seen in the inbound cargo from Africa, which dropped 20% year-on-year to 46,518 tonnes. European figures show a 15% inbound decline to 47,493 tonnes, compared to the same period last year, while the North American market saw a 13% decrease in inbound cargoes to 56,314 tonnes. Asian inbound market was down by 10% to 131,725 tonnes.