Amsterdam Airport Schiphol saw its total cargo volume in 2018 fall by 2.5%, despite a 4.1% increase in belly cargo.

According to the airport, it handled 1.7 million tonnes of freight in 2018. Full freighter movements decreased by 10.4% year-on-year, while freighter volumes dropped by 7%.

Total flight movements at Schiphol for the year came to 499,444, just below the slot capacity of 500,000.

“In 2018, despite a slight decrease in overall freight volumes, we built on a number of initiatives that enhance the experience of our pharmaceutical, e-commerce and perishables customers, and our continued commitment to quality is having positive results,” said Maaike van der Windt, director of aviation marketing, cargo and customer experience at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. “We experienced a year of ups and downs in 2018, and in 2019 we will continue to focus on close collaboration with our cargo community through the Smart Cargo Mainport Program to pursue ambitions such as an increase in digital information exchange and quality improvements in the supply chain.”

Asia continued to be the airport’s largest market, with Shanghai being the busiest destination.

Inbound volumes from Asia ended at 299,110 tonnes for 2018, a 1.1% decrease compared to 2017, while outbound volumes fell 4.2% to 302,994 tonnes.

Cargo from the Middle Eastern market decreased by 9.1% and outbound volumes dropped by 10%.

Outbound volumes to Africa were up by 3.2%. Cargo coming from and going to Latin America also grew by 5.5% and 6.2% respectively, while exports to North America increased by 2.1%, according to Schiphol.