Freight traffic at New York’s John F.Kennedy International Airport fell 6.4 percent in May, the sharpest monthly declineat the major trans-Atlantic gateway in six months.
The drop included a 6.6 per cent dive in JFK’s international freight tonnage, a new sign that a weak shipping economy and rising jet fuel costs are hitting aircargo volumes.
Soaring fuel prices are pushing shippers and forwarders to cheaper options, particularly ocean freight which plays conveniently into the hands of New York’s substantial maritime business.
The decline in May left freight business at Kennedy Airport down 3.9per cent compared to the first five months of 2007, following a 2.9 per cent drop for the full year last year.