This was reported by Jost Lammers, Chairman of the Management Board of Flughafen München GmbH, at the latest Aircargo Club Deutschland event, where he gave members an insight into the plans of Germany's second-largest airport.
Before the global Covid-19 pandemic, Munich Airport was an important hub for the shipment of international belly cargo. However, due to the discontinuation of intercontinental connections and the reduction to just one international destination at times, the airport also suffered heavy losses in the cargo business. Since the low point in April, when cargo throughput fell by 82%, the airfreight trend has recovered slightly. From April to June, cargo business at Munich Airport was dominated by flights carrying protective equipment. Since then, belly cargo has become increasingly important again, particularly due to the introduction of intercontinental passenger flights.

"The lack of uniformity in the designation of risk areas is one of the biggest problems in the aviation industry. Clear international rules are needed to restore passenger confidence and give the industry a chance to recover. Only in this way can more intercontinental flights be offered again, which also play an essential role in cargo transportation," says Jost Lammers, CEO of Flughafen München GmbH.

"The entire air transport industry has proven its importance in maintaining important logistics chains in these challenging times. Nevertheless, the industry is struggling with considerable capacity problems. For this reason, belly cargo on passenger aircraft is important. It also makes a decisive contribution to operating routes economically," adds Prof. Dr. Christopher Stoller, President of the Aircargo Club Deutschland.

Despite the crisis, Munich Airport is continuing to invest in the cargo business. The conditions for this are excellent, as Munich Airport is located in an attractive cargo catchment area with economically strong regions. With large companies from various sectors, Munich is also well equipped for the future. Southern Germany's share of cargo flights to the top 15 non-EU trade markets, including China, the USA and Japan, was already 42% in 2019.

In order to further strengthen the air freight location, the airport is consistently pushing ahead with expansion projects such as the construction of road and logistics connections despite the crisis. Most recently, a new truck parking area in the cargo area and Lufthansa Cargo's new pharmaceutical hub were put into operation. In addition, DHL Express Germany and Munich Airport signed a contract just this year for the construction of a new cargo building with an area of more than 8,000 square meters. The new gateway, with which DHL Express will increase its current hall space at Munich Airport sixfold, is scheduled to open in 2022.