FedEx’s Memphis Hub Remains Busiest Cargo Airport
FedEx Corp.’s Memphis, Tenn., home airport remained the world’s busiest for cargo for the 18th straight year as the gap with Hong Kong widened because of a drop in shipments from Asia, Bloomberg reported Thursday.
Memphis International Airport handled 3.698 million metric tons of freight in 2009, a gain of 0.04% from 2008, according to airport data, while Hong Kong International Airport’s cargo traffic fell 7.7% to 3.35 million metric tons, Bloomberg said.
Consultants Air Cargo Management Group had predicted Hong Kong might surpass Memphis in freight volume in 2008 before the recession tamped global demand. Memphis’ 3.696 million metric tons that year kept it ahead of Hong Kong’s 3.63 million metric tons.
FedEx, the world’s largest air-freight shipper, said in December that volume in its express unit slid 1% for the first fiscal quarter, the best result in five quarters, Bloomberg reported.
FedEx added volume when Deutsche Post AG’s DHL unit halted its U.S. domestic operations in late 2008 and early 2009, Bloomberg reported. Air Cargo Management estimates DHL’s U.S. volume was split about equally between FedEx and UPS Inc.
FedEx is ranked No. 2 on the Transport Topics 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.
