YHZ capitalizes on perishables to break cargo volume record

Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA), the Canadian airport authority operating Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) in Nova Scotia, released 2017 financial results that indicate a 2.2 percent increase in metric tonnes shipped at the airport. While growth is down from 4.1 percent last year, in terms of volume, which was 34,051 tonnes handled in 2017, this is a record-breaking statistic for the airport.

The report sites perishables as the majority of cargo moving through YHZ, specifically seafood exports to Europe and Asia. “China was our top market for live Nova Scotia lobster in 2017, with the volume of exports to this country increasing by 63 percent over the previous year – double the average growth of all other export destination countries,” the report found.

Going forward, the airport said that, in accordance with HIAA’s 2017-2021 plan, it will continue centering its strategy around its status as the closest continental airport in North America to Europe, calling itself the “Gateway to Canada,” and will “continue to market … to airlines looking to implement new nonstop flights to and from Europe, with feed from services in Canada and the United States.”