Freight volume at Munich Airport "increased considerably" in 2021 as the number of cargo-only flights rose.

The airport — one of Germany's busiest cargo airport — saw airfreight volume last year 22,000 metric tonnes higher than the level seen in 2020.

Munich Airport said this corresponds to an increase in freight volume by just under 15% to a total of 167,000 metric tons.

"Air freight increased considerably in comparison with 2020, particularly due to a significant increase in 'cargo-only' traffic," the gateway added.

A total of roughly 153,000 take-offs and landings took place in 2021 at the Munich Airport.

Meanwhile, the gateway saw passenger numbers rose by 1.4 million, more than 12%, to a total of 12.5 million passengers — although this represents only "slightly over a quarter" of the airport's record results for 2019 before the pandemic.

"As soon as the pandemic situation allows for it, people want to travel again. We also see this uninterrupted demand as an encouraging sign in regard to the new year. Even if the next several weeks are still challenging in consideration of the anticipated impact of the Omicron variant, we see excellent prospects for another considerable increase in flights and passenger demand in the summer flight schedule," said Jost Lammers, CEO of Munich Airport.