'Green sprout' Memphis airport's cargo increases 1.5pc in June

THE Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority has announced that cargo volume at Memphis International Airport increased 1.5 per cent year on year to 648.1 million pounds in June.

"I'll take anything I can get," said airport CEO Larry Cox, calling the uptick a "green sprout" that signals better days. "When the economy turns around, I think we're going to see more activity, more destinations. So we really feel good about it."

But 98.7 per cent of the throughput was moved by FedEx, the Memphis shipping giant that accounted for 640.9 million pounds of the cargo total last month, reported the Memphis Daily News.

Year-to-date, cargo traffic still lags 2008 by 4.5 per cent. Memphis has moved 3.89 billion pounds this year, down from 4.08 billion pounds in 2008.

Scheduled flights at the airport also dropped from 291 daily in June 2008 to 275 daily flights last month.

(Source: www.schednet.com)