Cargo Traffic Up At Halifax Airport
HALIFAX—Twenty-twenty-one was not a great year for the aviation sector. But at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, there was at least one ray of hope.
Air cargo traffic at the airport was up last year and the team at YHZ expects a strong recovery over the next few years.
In 2021, the Halifax airport processed 34,769 metric tonnes of cargo. That’s a 5.4 percent jump from 2020, when the airport processed 32,984 tonnes of cargo. The value of exports in 2021 was $496-million, which was up 6.3 percent from the previous year’s $466-million.
Nova Scotia seafood, especially live lobster, was the province’s top export. In 2021, 15,765 metric tonnes of live lobster, valued at $293-million, were shipped from Halifax to Asian and European markets.
Other major exports included medical equipment and aerospace-related parts.
Despite the modest growth in 2021, cargo numbers at the Halifax airport were still well below their pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, the airport processed 41,219 metric tonnes of cargo, valued at $621-million.
However, airport officials say cargo capacity in Halifax will grow significantly when the airport’s new Air Cargo Logistics Park (ACLP) opens later this year. The park has eight cargo aircraft aprons and will soon boast cold storage capabilities.
During the pandemic, even though it was bleeding money, the Halifax airport pushed ahead with the park’s construction. Airport CEO Joyce Carter has said that was an important “strategic decision.”
“Despite our significant financial losses [we continued] with the development of this facility because we knew that cargo was going to help get us out of the pandemic,” she told a business conference late last year.
Funding for the ACLP construction was announced in 2018 from the Government of Canada ($18 million), the Government of Nova Scotia ($5 million), and the Halifax International Airport Authority ($13 million).
The HIAA says air cargo “remains a bright light for future growth and opportunities.” Carriers are expanding their cargo operations in Halifax, including Air Canada Cargo making Halifax part of its regularly scheduled freighter operations.
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