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Air Cargo at SEA, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (October 10, 2023)

Summary

Air Cargo at SEA, dated October 10, 2023, is a set of slides from Tom Green, Sr. Manager, Air Cargo Operations & Development, for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It states that the total value of airfreight through SEA Airport in 2022 was $24.5 billion, comprising $16 billion in exports and $8.5 billion in imports. A section on COVID-19 impact states that suspended passenger flights removed a significant shipping mode, that belly cargo capacity dried up very quickly, and that some airlines operated passenger aircraft flights purely to haul cargo. It also reports airline-reported tonnage data for Asia trade lanes and notes that Asia air cargo trade flows are heavily reliant on belly capacity.

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Issuer
Congressional materials
Document type
2023 10 10 A31426 D262782 Seattle Tacoma International Airport Air Cargo At Sea
Date
2023-10-10
Case
2023 10 10 A31426 D262782 Seattle Tacoma International Airport Air Cargo At Sea

Cite this document

“Air Cargo at SEA, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (October 10, 2023).” Original at app.leg.wa.gov, dated 2023-10-10. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2023-10-10-2023-10-10-a31426-d262782-seattle-tacoma-international-airport-air-cargo-at-sea/, SHA-256 627e332e337f1152c62de077096f0d591245d143663852d95542d556540ca6c8.

Full text

Air Cargo
at SEA
October 10, 2023
Tom Green
Sr. Manager,
Air Cargo Operations &
Development



                         2
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport




                                       3
Upgrade SEA



              International Arrivals Facility
Air Cargo Important to Trade, Aviation & Jobs
Air cargo has a unique role in global trade
 • Less than 1% of reported world trade tonnage is carried by air cargo
 • 35% of reported world trade value is carried by air cargo

Air cargo represents an important revenue source for airlines
 • Revenue from cargo can make the difference on route profitability
 • Revenue from cargo defrays passenger ticket costs

Air Cargo, part of the logistics supply chain, provides employment
 • Industry sources estimate each 1,000 metric tons of air cargo generates 10 – 15 jobs
   systemwide
 • For an airport equivalent to SEA that represents 4,560 - 6,840 jobs
9
2022 by the Numbers




                      10
COVID-19 Impact: Loss of Air Cargo Belly Capacity
Suspended passenger flights removed significant shipping mode

– Passenger counts dropped precipitously; airlines canceled flights. Belly cargo
  capacity, a significant portion of the market at SEA, dried up very quickly

– Capacity for international trade by air cargo impacted severely due to outsized
  role of belly on those trade lanes

– Variable impact across shippers – those who rely on that mode had few if any
  suitable options

– Some cargo, such as mail, shifted to freighters

– Some airlines operated passenger aircraft flights purely to haul cargo



                                                                                    11
 Air Cargo 2022
Total Value of Airfreight

$24.5 billion
Through SEA Airport
• $16 billion Exports
• $8.5 billion Imports




                            13
Air Cargo Statistics
     Airline reported data

• Airline data is reported monthly in metric tons (enplaned & deplaned)
• Asia trade-lane tonnage reported for 10+ scheduled airline services
• Reports also show whether freight carried by belly or freighter
  ➢ 69,492 metric tons reported for 2022 – ~60% of total SEA international cargo

  ➢ 14% lower than 2021, 24% down from 2019

  ➢ 63% of Asia trade in 2022 was carried in belly, including 88% of imports

• Asia air cargo trade flows heavily reliant on belly – a risk when passenger
  services are curtailed
• Data not very informative about two-way WA state trading partners
Air Cargo Statistics
      Commercially available federal data

• Data is aggregated from US Customs reports – by tons or $ value
• Can be searched by trade partner country and commodity type
• Does not indicate how flown (belly or freighter) or by which airline
   ➢ $13.3 billion value of Asia trade in 2022 – ~54% of total SEA international cargo value
      ➢65% of total Asia trade is export ($8.6 billion)
      ➢Imports and exports hit record values in 2022

   ➢ ~20% increase overall vs. 2021, similar to change from 2019
      ➢Export growth percentage exceeded import growth

• Year-to-date 2023 (through August) indicating declining trend
• Exports decreasing more than imports, particularly to China, Malaysia & Taiwan
       2022 Asia Air Cargo Trade Through SEA
                            Top Washington State – Asia Trading Partners

              China
              Japan
          Malaysia
            Taiwan
           Vietnam
         Singapore
Korea, Republic Of
           Thailand
        Hong Kong
       Philippines
               India
                       $-      $500   $1,000     $1,500      $2,000   $2,500   $3,000      $3,500        $4,000
                                                                                        Millions of Dollars
                                         Total            Import      Export


                                                                                                                  17
Thank You


Operated by the
Port of Seattle



FlySEA.org

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