Alaska study sees only modest air cargo growth with changing conditions

03 October 2012 | USA

 

Alaska Department of Transportation has forecast a modest air cargo forecast by 2030 for Fairbanks International Airport (FIA) and Ted Stevens Anchorage due to spiraling fuel costs and modern fleets doing away with international stopovers.

Anchorage leads with 4.9 million tonnes moved in 2010 against 38,000 tonnes for Fairbanks. Each is expected to grow in the coming 2 decades by 3% in both international and Lower 48 flights at 8.8 million tonnes and 49,000 tonnes respectively, of which most will come from international cargo.

Alaska airports are a convenient stop over for non-transfer flights eastbound from Asia to America of which Anchorage has benefited in the past, and to a degree Fairbanks taking up 77% of these flights, but is due to drop to 30% by 2030.

The traffic between both, particularly high during times of bad weather, is thought to reduce in the coming years due to more fuel efficient aircraft coming upstream to modern fleets allowing for less fuel stopovers.

Fairbanks struggled to maintain cargo share due to the loss of main carriers' Lufthansa and Air France, tumbling from a high of 150,000 tonnes a decade a go, and is forecast to maintain its humble status in the next decade.

Fairbanks airport manager Mr. Jesse Vanderzanden said the airports masterplan will map out short and long-term future for the airports and will take 12 to 19 months to be completed.