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AIRPORT
Cargo record for Maastricht Aachen Airport The future is looking rosy for Maastricht Aachen Airport. Since 2016 annual cargo volumes have been increasing significantly and last year’s volume was more than double that of 2016. This in a year when other Dutch airports had an extremely difficult year. Maastricht Aachen Airport has also got off to a good start this year. Even while the passenger terminal is still eerily quiet and empty.
Text Maastricht Aachen Airport Photography Maastricht Aachen Airport, Jean-Pierre Geusens
2020 had started uncertainly for Maastricht Aachen Airport. Cargo volumes in January and February, as a result of the outbreak in China, showed a considerable slump in comparison to 2019. The airport could not then have imagined that, in terms of cargo, the airport would have the best year in its history. Jos Roeven, CEO of Maastricht Aachen Airport: “You saw immediately from the worldwide cargo volumes that China was in lockdown. Reduced or even no production at all meant no cargo. And then in March when passenger traffic was halted I began to worry. This was a situation we had never previously experienced and was one for which there were no models or forecasts available.” The grounding of intercontinental passenger aircraft was immediately evident. The lack of capacity for belly freight resulted immediately in a huge increase in full freighter flights. These are the only cargo flights into Maastricht Aachen Airport. The loss of passenger flights was compensated by the increase in cargo flights to the Limburg airport.
Jos Roeven, CEO Maastricht Aachen Airport
Cargo Magazine
“Especially for our showpieces: fast processing of fresh products such as vegetables, fruit and fish and, of course, there was an unprecedented increase in demand for pharmaceutical products and medical equipment. While many companies were
