Findel airport losing its foothold

(JB) Luxembourg's Findel airport is losing ground to its competitors for air freight, dropping to eighth place in the European rankings.

The cargo hub fell from fifth place in the Airports International Council ranking after the volume of freight products handled dropped below 2009 levels when the industry saw the last crisis.

Its loss of ground could be explained by a general stagnation in trade. However, this argument finds little ground when it emerges that freight industry in both Liège, in Belgium, and Frankfurt Hahn, in Germany, have seen a 30% growth.

According to one of Luxembourg's biggest unions OGBL's Civil Aviation section, the results suggest that Findel is losing its foothold as customers move to join the competition.

The union was critical of politicians for failing to take forward a strategy to improve logistics at the airport.

It also lambasted Luxair's leadership of the Cargo Center, accusing the firm of making “wrong decisions” which have frightened off customers and resulted in low morale among staff.

OGBL members have called for a meeting with Luxair officials to remedy the situation and ensure the protection of the 1,000 staff employed by them.