The Israeli civil aviation authority said last week that in 2004 the air freight sector registered an 8% growth.
Figures presented last week to the Transport Minister Mr. Meir Shitrit indicated that in 2003 total freight handled at the Ben Gurion airport was 307 thousand tons, whereas in 2004 the airport handled 332 thousand tons.
According to the civil aviation authority the growth was attributed mainly to large increase in industrial and agriculture exports, imports as well as due to the seaports longest ever strike, during the summer.
The two main carriers El Al and CAL registered a 6% growth compared to 2003 and their market share in 2004 was 73.1% compared to 75% in 2003.
In a press release the Israeli civil aviation authority noted that in 2004 the authority granted permission to Israeli and foreign airline companies to air-freight cargo on charter flights thus increasing the total capacity offered to the market. This market segment carried throughout last year some 200 tons.
International Freight Traffic at Ben Gurion Airport
(Tons, January-December 2004) :
AIRLINE COUNTRY Total Unloaded Loaded TONS % TONS % TONS % EL AL/CAL ISRAEL 243,044 73.1% 100,002 74.2% 143,042 72.4% LUFTHANSA GERMANY 14,259 4.3% 6,627 4.9% 7,632 3.9% FEDEX U.S.A 14,092 4.2% 5,611 4.2% 8,481 4.3% CONTINENTAL U.S.A 11,910 3.6% 3,719 2.8% 8,191 4.1% BRITISH U.K 9,908 3.0% 3,086 2.3% 6,822 3.5% MNG (U.P.S) TURKEY 9,829 3.0% 3,898 2.9% 5,931 3.0% SWISS SWITZERLAND 9,539 2.9% 4,093 3.0% 5,446 2.8% TURKISH TURKEY 4,722 1.4% 2,320 1.7% 2,402 1.2% AIR CANADA CANADA 2,763 0.8% 1,082 0.8% 1,681 0.9% EAT (DHL) BELGIUM 2,051 0.6% 871 0.6% 1,180 0.6% AUSTRIAN AUSTRIA 1,439 0.4% 515 0.4% 924 0.5% UZBEKISTAN UZBEKISTAN 1,055 0.3% 561 0.4% 494 0.3% R. JORDANIAN JORDAN 821 0.2% 362 0.3% 459 0.2% IBERIA SPAIN 591 0.2% 170 0.1% 421 0.2% CYPRUS CYPRUS 585 0.2% 254 0.2% 331 0.2% CSA CZECH REPUBLIC 568 0.2% 205 0.2% 363 0.2% TRANSAERO RUSSIAN FED. 434 0.1% 129 0.1% 305 0.2% OLYMPIC GREECE 405 0.1% 182 0.1% 223 0.1% AIR FRANCE FRANCE 390 0.1% 116 0.1% 274 0.1% AEROSVIT UKRAINE 362 0.1% 117 0.1% 245 0.1% TAROM ROMANIA 352 0.1% 111 0.1% 241 0.1% ALITALIA ITALY 319 0.1% 102 0.1% 217 0.1% LOT POLAND 272 0.1% 51 0.0% 221 0.1% MALEV HUNGARY 259 0.1% 93 0.1% 166 0.1% ETHIOPIAN ETHIOPIA 236 0.1% 74 0.1% 162 0.1% OTHER CARRIERS 2,071 0.6% 489 0.4% 1,582 0.8% TOTAL 332,276 100.0% 134,840 100.0% 197,436 100.0%
