Munich Airport said while there has been a substantial decline in belly cargo due to the lack of long-haul passenger flights to Asia and America due to the disruptions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, “cargo-only traffic” has increased considerably in the same period.

It said from January to October 2021, around 55,000 metric tons of cargo in cargo-only aircraft were processed at Munich Airport which is an increase of nearly 40% compared with 2019, the last year before the crisis.

"Currently, cargo-only traffic therefore accounts no longer for 10 but for around 45% of all cargo volume in Munich," Munich Airport, one of the largest German cargo airport said.

Before the Covid-19 outbreak, cargo is predominantly transported in large passenger aircraft as belly cargo. Munich Airport said this makes up around 90% of the total cargo volume in Munich.

"The fact that more and more freighters are touching down in Munich is a further proof of the enormous potential that our airport offers as a handling hub for air cargo," said Airport CEO Jost Lammers.

"In light of the export-oriented economy of southern Germany and its close connections to markets and production sites all over the world, I still see considerable development opportunities for our airport here."

He added that Munich is currently benefiting from regular flights by the Russian cargo airline AirBridgeCargo, which flies between the Bavarian capital and various Asian destinations six times a week with Boeing B747-8F jumbo jets.

The positive development in cargo-only traffic is also being spurred on by a newcomer: as of late, Moldova’s Aerotranscargo has been landing a jumbo freighter from Hong Kong in Munich twice a week.

Munich noted that the airline is flying this cargo route on behalf of the international logistics service provider DB Schenker. 

At the beginning of November, DHL Express also doubled its cargo services from five to ten weekly departures. In addition, Kuwait Airways, Thai Airways and Oman Airlines have registered several charter cargo flights in Munich in the next few weeks. 

"One of the world’s largest freighters is also to be seen more frequently in Munich from the end of November to mid-December: The Russian cargo airline Volga-Dnepr Airlines (VDA) is planning a series of Antonov 124 flights via the Bavarian aviation hub in this period," the gateway said.

More capacity in Munich Airport

Munich Airport said an end of the boom in cargo-only traffic is "not currently in sight."

"On the contrary, further cargo services departing from Munich are being planned for next year. But there will also be more capacity for belly cargo in Munich again in the future," it added, noting that due to the resumption of numerous long-haul flights to North and Central America, such as to Miami, Vancouver and Mexico, airlines can again carry significantly more cargo across the Atlantic in addition to their passengers.