#2: AirBridgeCargo gains Schiphol slots after threat over Russian airspace
Of course, good old-fashioned drama can play a big part in the popularity of our news stories. This early November piece about the showdown between AirBridgeCargo and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport over freighter slot spaces was a particularly juicy item, especially considering the Russian carrier’s attempt to force the airport’s hand by threatening an airspace ban for Dutch carriers if they didn’t get their way. While the incident ended amicably, the tension the story achieved was relatively rare in the usually polite air cargo world, and it helped bring attention to the serious problem of overcrowding at many of the older European hubs, due to the growth of e-commerce and the rise in demand for airfreight of all sorts.