Express cargo volumes at Marseille airport grew strongly by 14.3% to 18,000 tonnes in the first sixmonths of the year due to extended operations by express carriers.
Marseille is today France’s leading airport after Paris for express cargo with TNT,Chronopost, DHL, TAT Express and Europe Airpost located at the site and FedEx and Ciblex alsooperating there. The positive development in express cargo volumes at Marseille airport is due tothe carriers’ extended operations at the airport.
UPS handled nearly 3,000 tonnes during the first six months of 2008, according to theDeutsche Verkehrs-Zeitung (DVZ). The company is handling express freight in its 1,500-sqm hall,which can be extended by another 1,000 sqm. The UPS hub was inaugurated at Marseille airport in Maylast year with the launch of the route between Cologne-Bordeaux-Marseille, which is operated fivetimes every week by a Boeing 767-200 with a capacity of 42 tonnes.
DHL also handled about 3,000 tonnes at Marseille airport in H1 of 2008. FedEx handled morethan 500 tonnes. According to Marseille airport, TNT is developing its activities, investing in anew 5,700 sqm sorting centre to facilitate growth in its express traffic to western and northernFrance (Rennes and Paris).
Overall, Marseille airport handled nearly 12,700 tonnes of freight during the first half of2008, which is an increase of 7.9% compared to the first half of last year. Traditional freightdecreased by 15% to 3,700 tonnes compared to the first half of 2007.
Situated mid-way between Barcelona, Lyon and Milan and benefiting from the strong economicgrowth of neighbouring Mediterranean countries, Marseille airport describes itself as ideallylocated for the development of express cargo traffic flows between Europe and North Africa andnorthern and southern Europe.
