What are the main destinations for air freight?

Rhenus News

We analyse the most important data on Spanish air freight in 2021 to offer you the keys to this market in export traffic.

IATA has defined 2021 as a "stellar year" for air freight and we could not agree more. Spain is once again approaching the one million tonne mark, recovering traffic with key markets such as North America and Asia, and with industries such as textiles and pharmaceuticals.

Air freight in Spain confirms 2021 as the year of recovery, with a volume of 998,471 tonnes of goods, 23.5% more than the previous year. The result, however, is very close to the million tonnes achieved in the two years prior to the pandemic and only 6.6% below the results of 2019.

This growth is based on the dynamism of exports by air, with an increase of 29.5% and a total of 483,357 tonnes. Imports, meanwhile, closed the year with 515,587 tonnes and a more moderate rise of 23.9%. Despite this, 2021 repeats the change in trend shown in the previous year and traffic originating in Spanish airports is once again the majority, with a 51% share.

EXPORTS, TO THE UNITED STATES; IMPORTS, FROM GERMANY

The transport of goods to the United States is the main destination for Spanish air freight in 2021, with a growth of 50%. After Germany, which holds the second position in this ranking, Mexico appears as the market with the best evolution in the course, with a 48% increase in exported volumes.

In terms of import flows, Germany is once again at the top of the list of countries with the greatest exchange of goods with Spain, followed by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The greatest variations in this index are to be found in lower positions, such as China, with an increase of 36% and 19,954 tonnes.

"The return to normality once again positions North America and Asia as reference markets for air cargo transport in Spain, after an atypical context due to the impact of flight restrictions," says Tim Schmutsch, Commercial Director Air & Ocean of Rhenus Spain. This logistics operator, specialized in air freight services, prioritizes its activity in precisely these two markets, where it has its own facilities, with branches in the main North American and Asian cities.

In this sense, Schmutsch highlights the international infrastructure of Rhenus as a great added value for exporters: "IATA itself warns that one of the great challenges for air cargo in 2022 is the shortage of storage at some airports and delays in the shipping process. Our network of warehouses and hubs at the world's main airports are more important than ever because they guarantee the availability of space for our customers," explains the Commercial Director Air & Ocean of Rhenus Spain.

TEXTILE EXPORTS LEAD THE AIR CARGO MARKET
The analysis of the most exported products by air during 2021 shows a solid first position for the textile sector, with goods valued at €3,642 million. Air transport of medicines is the second traffic in this market, with 2,756 million euros, followed by aircraft exports, which closed the year with a volume of 2,366 million euros.

In traffic originating in airports outside our borders, medicines are the products with the highest commercial volume, with transactions worth 3,453 million euros. The technological merchandise that makes up the telecommunications equipment segment generates 2,812 million euros and is the second most imported; while the cargo most associated with the industry, such as the index of apparatus and other capital goods, has represented 2,766 million euros.

Main exported products

Textiles and clothing 3.642,61
Medicines 2,756.39
Aircraft 2,366.18
Appliances and other capital goods 2,071.65
Petroleum and petroleum products 1,270.47Main imported productsMedicines 3,453.37
Telecommunication equipment 2,812.71
Apparatus and other capital goods 2,766.34
Textiles and clothing 1,565.37
Other consumer manufactures 1,093.98