MIA named Best Airport in North America for cargo logistics

Airport recognized at Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain Awards in Shanghai

MIAMI – On May 15, Miami International Airport was named Best Airport in North America at the 2018 Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) Awards ceremony in Shanghai, in recognition of its excellence in the global air cargo sector over the past year.

The awards program, hosted and organized annually by industry publication Asia Cargo News, recognized leading cargo logistics service providers including air and shipping lines, air and sea ports, and other associated industry professionals.

The nomination and voting process, according to Asia Cargo News, allowed more than 10,000 readers and e-news subscribers of the publication to determine the leading organizations in the market and then select the winners - making the award results the opinion of service users rather than a panel of judges. MIA was chosen from a group of four finalists that also included Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Vancouver International Airport.

“Congratulations to MIA for receiving more well-deserved recognition because of its world-class cargo operations,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “Miami-Dade County is incredibly fortunate to have America’s busiest international freight airport – and one of the world’s top 10 - within our community.”

MIA achieved its best year ever for freight tonnage in 2017, with 2.24 million total tons – a three-percent increase over 2016. The airport benefitted from four new international cargo carriers launching service last year: Etihad Cargo began weekly freighter flights between Miami, Amsterdam and Abu Dhabi in November; TACA Peru began four weekly freighter flights from five South American cities in August; Mexico-based Aeronaves TSM commenced 10 weekly flights from Cancun in March; and Qatar Airways launched two weekly cargo flights from Doha, with stops in Luxembourg, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Quito, and Liege, last February. Most recently, Southern Air began weekly all-cargo service between Hong Kong and MIA via Anchorage last month, and Skybus launched weekly cargo service to Peru in January.

In the last two years, MIA has introduced a host of innovative cargo initiatives, including: approval by the U.S. Department of Commerce to designate the airport land parcel as a Foreign Trade Zone magnet site; the formation of an e-commerce task force workshop with local air cargo industry stakeholders, with the goal of establishing Miami-Dade County as one of the world’s leading e-commerce hubs; Florida’s first-ever ocean-to-air perishables trans-shipment program last February, which allows perishable freight from local seaports to be trucked to MIA and depart by air without Customs duties; and MIA’s pharma hub designation by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which certifies that pharma products are transported in accordance with global best practices.

“It is an honor to be named Best Airport in North America by the readers of Asia Cargo News, especially given the caliber of the other airports shortlisted for this award,” said Miami-Dade Aviation Director Lester Sola. “We are proud to be an example of excellence in the air cargo sector, and we look forward to strengthening trade and commerce even more within our world region.”

Written by leading transport and cargo industry journalists, Asia Cargo News is a vital source of intelligence for cargo, logistics and supply chain companies located in and doing business in Asia. The newspaper includes a range of in-depth features, news and analysis designed to meet the information needs of industry decision-makers.

“Thousands of shippers and industry experts have voted, making the results a true reflection of industry expertise,” said Asia Cargo News publisher Darren Barton. “The response was overwhelming.”