Isikhululo seenqwelo-moya saseFrankfurt siwongwe “njengeSikhululo seenqwelomoya soNyaka saMazwe ngaMazwe

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) has been honored as the winner of The STAT Trade Times International Award for Excellence in Air Cargo in the category “International Cargo Airport of the Year” – presented recently in Mumbai during the Air Cargo India 2014 conference and exhibition. The worldwide readers of The STAT Trade Times, an Indian-based international multimodal-transport media group, voted for Frankfurt Airport and other recipients in a total of 26 cargo and logistics categories. Anke Giesen, Fraport AG’s executive board member and executive director ground handling, said: “Frankfurt Airport’s top choice as the ‘International Cargo Airport of the Year’ is a great honor and underscores our enduring commitment to strengthen and expand FRA’s role as a strategic hub for Germany and Europe in the global economy.”

Bucking the tough economic climate in Europe in 2013, FRA achieved a new annual record of 58 million passengers, while cargo grew to 2.1 million metric tons last year. In January 2014, FRA’s cargo throughput (airfreight and airmail) advanced 7.2 percent to 160,970 metric tons. Infrastructure continues to expand, too. FRA is the only major airport in Europe to open a brand new runway (in 2011), followed by a large Pier A-Plus terminal expansion in 2012. Furthermore, new on-airport development sites are available at CargoCity. At the flourishing Gateway Gardens business park, DB Schenker opened its new European headquarters last year. In 2014, the House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM) – the world’s first airport university campus – will open here, too. HOLM will operate as an innovation and higher-education center that harnesses international collaboration to meet the challenges of our industry.

Accepting the honor in Mumbai, Fraport AG’s vice president sales for cargo, Roland Weil, stressed that: “The STAT Trade Times International Award for Excellence in Air Cargo not only recognizes FRA as the world’s best cargo airport but also the contributions of every partner in the Frankfurt cargo and logistics community – including airlines and handling specialists, forwarders and road feeder services, customs agencies and others.” The continuing success of Frankfurt depends on its strategic location, integrated networks in the air and on the ground, a critical mass of expertise, cooperation and focus on partners, and the ability to constantly reinvent itself to serve the future needs of business customers and end-users.

Located in the geographic heart of Europe, Frankfurt been a vital crossroads and trading gateway for centuries. Today, Frankfurt punches way above its population size thanks to its world-class diversified economy, a huge cargo/logistics cluster and, of course, the efficient and well-connected Frankfurt Airport global hub.