Partial recovery air transport sector in 2010

Air transport grew further in 2010. Cargo transport grew by 17.4 percent, rebounding from the severe slump in 2009. Passenger air transport increased by 4.6 percent.

Growth goods transport fuelled by international trade

Last year, 1.6 million tons of cargo was shipped through Dutch air ports, an increase by 234 thousand tons relative to 2009 and a decrease by nearly 50 thousand tons relative to 2008. The substantial increase is mainly due to the recovery manifest in international trade. The air transport sector collapsed in 2009 as international trade slumped.

The number of air passengers totalled 48.6 million, an increase by 2.1 million on 2009 and 1.8 million down on 2008.

2010 bustling year for air transport sector

Aviation suffered many setbacks in 2010. The Dutch air space was closed for nearly a week in April because of the huge Icelandic volcanic ash cloud. Air traffic was disrupted in December by heavy snowfall and strike actions on airports in Greece, France and Spain in 2010 caused a lot of inconvenience and delays.

Air transport through Dutch airports

Wick Schaafstra