Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya leads in Africa in cargo handling in 2021. This is according to data from the Airports Council Internati
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya leads in Africa in cargo handling in 2021. This is according to data from the Airports Council International (ACI).
The Annual World Airport Traffic bundle offers the industry’s most comprehensive airport statistics dataset and report featuring airport traffic for over 2,600 airports in more than 180 countries and territories.
Cargo traffic
A total of 2.15 million tonnes of cargo transited through African airports. The lobby for airports, says in its 2021 annual report that JKIA handled 363,204 tonnes of cargo last year, leading other airports on the continent in total cargo traffic. Flowers and vegetables accounted for 79 per cent of the total export volumes, the equivalent of 28,695 tonnes of the total cargo. Majority of the air cargo originated from Europe, Asia, America, China and Australia.
“As we slowly return to the norm, I am glad to inform you that Kenya’s JKIA emerged as the busiest in handling cargo in Africa,” Kenya Airports Authority acting general manager Jacob Bwana said.
JKIA boasts over 40 passenger airlines and 25 cargo airlines. The main products exported are French beans, snow peas, sugar snaps, broccoli, avocados, passion fruit, mangoes and cut flowers, while commodities imported include general cargo and pharmaceuticals
Cairo International Airport took the second position while South Africa’s Oliver Reginald Tambo International Airport (OR Tambo), the hub for South African Airways, which is currently in partnership with KQ, was ranked third in cargo volumes after 304,018 tonnes transited through it.