The member companies of the Association of German Air Cargo Handlers handled a total of 452,395 tonnes of air freight in the second quarter of 2025. According to the association, this corresponds to an increase of 3.7 percent, or 15,711 tonnes, compared with the previous year's quarter. The positive trend in throughput continues thus.
Decline in the number of employees
While freight volumes are rising, the association notes
a clear decline in staff. According to Vacad, the number of employees in the second quarter of 2025 was 3,180, seven percent below the level of the corresponding period in the previous year. Already in the first quarter of this year, a decline of 3.5 percent compared with the previous year had been recorded.
"We urgently need additional personnel to continue handling the growing freight volumes reliably and
in high quality. The companies do a lot to be attractive employers. However, they are regularly impeded by the extreme duration of the necessary security checks. Compared with other industries, this is a major disadvantage that could be remedied by stronger networking and digitalization of the authorities," says Vacad chairman Claus Wagner.
Criticism of lengthy security checks
According to the association, long processing times for the mandated security
checks lead to delays in hiring new staff. Vacad chairman Claus Wagner stressed that the companies urgently needed additional personnel to reliably handle the rising freight volumes. He sees the existing statutory requirements as practically infeasible hurdles that bind many employees without any discernible added value for performance or safety. The association therefore calls for stronger networking and digitization of the responsible authorities to accelerate the procedures. (av)
