LOUISVILLE, Ky. — According to a release, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) remained in the top five for the busiest cargo operations worldwide.
In 2020, SDF was ranked no. 5 in the world and no. 3 in North America as the busiest cargo airports, according to the preliminary World Airport Traffic Report from the Airports Council International (ACI).
Ali International handled more than 6.43 billion pounds of cargo in 2020, a 4.6% increase over the previous year. Its growth rate for last year bested both the Hong Kong SAR, HR and Shanghai, CN airports.
“Air cargo from Louisville continued to show gains last year amid the global pandemic as demand for online goods grew significantly,” Executive Director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority Dan Mann said. “We are proud to remain among the Top 5 airports in the world for a second consecutive year and appreciate our strong partnership with UPS Worldport."
Mann pointed to the economic impact that the partnership with the UPS Worldport has on cargo and said it was even more evident as SDF became central to delivering the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine across the US in December 2020.
“Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is the heart of UPS’s worldwide air network," UPS Airlines President Brendan Canavan said. "We are delivering what matters -- coronavirus vaccines and other critical shipments -- around the world from Louisville every day, due to the dedication of thousands of UPSers, and the strong support of our operations by SDF."
The only two North American cargo airports busier than SDF were Memphis the Memphis International Airport (no. 1) and the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (no. 4), according to ACI.
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