Globally, air freight demand has been struggling in 2019, with a recent IATA report published on the 7 August showing that demand for air cargo deliveries declined in June for the eighth consecutive month. European airports in particular have not fared well, with figures from Airport Council International Europe highlighting a 7.1% decline in June (the worst months for hubs collectively in more than seven years).

This decline has been put down to a number of reasons, with an uncertain global economic situation contributing to weakening demand in imports, exports and transhipments. In particular, economists have cited the US-China trade dispute as a major factor, with a rise in tariffs on hundreds of Chinese-manufactured goods damaging incentives for companies to import and export goods.

Despite the current slump, some European airports have seen overall expansion in air freight volumes when the net is cast over a longer period. CP Cases, a provider of custom flight cases for air cargo and freight, conducted a study to find out which airports in Europe saw the largest cargo volumes – as well as which were the fastest growing - in the ten years up to 2018.

According to the company, the research did not show that a single airport had emerged as a major contender, but it did highlight several countries that are becoming important hubs for European freight processing. In particular, six of the 20 fastest growing cargo airports in Europe over the study period were in Spain, while seven eastern European airports appeared in the top 20 rankings for overall air freight tonnage processed. To find out more, see the infographics put together by CP Cases below: