Freight - Air

2022

Air cargo tonnage decreases 5.2% from 2021 to 2022

Washington airports handled 5.2% less cargo weight in 2022, a shift from the upward trend that began in 2013. In 2022, air cargo tonnage (plane plus cargo weight) decreased to 1.99 million compared to the 2.1 million tons shipped by air in 2021. Federal Aviation Administration cargo data for 2022 was preliminary as of June 2023, which may result in some changes when 2023 data is collected.

Sea-Tac air cargo tonnage decreases from 2021 to 2022

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport continued to handle the bulk of all air cargo in the state in 2022, with 69% of the statewide total according to the FAA.

According to the Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac handled approximately 456,289 metric tons of total cargo (not including plane weight) in 2022—a decrease of 8.5% from 498,741 metric tons in 2021.

Historically focused on shipping aviation-related cargo, Boeing Field shipped more than 220 million pounds of air cargo in 2021, making it the fourth largest cargo hub in the United States.

2021

Sea-Tac air cargo tonnage increases from 2020 to 2021

According to the Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac handled approximately 498,741 metric tons of total cargo (not including plane weight) in 2021—an increase of 9.7% from 454,584 metric tons in 2020, setting a new record for air cargo volume.

Fewer Sea-Tac international passengers led to passenger planes carrying more cargo by 28.1% from 2020 to 2021. Thus, leading air cargo to increase by 4.3% to offset when passengers started flying again and the space was no longer available. Increased demand for fast product delivery due to more e-commerce during the pandemic led to more demand for air cargo shipments.

2020

Air cargo tonnage increases 3.2% from 2019 to 2020

Washington airports handled 2.05 million tons of cargo (plane plus cargo weight) in 2020, continuing an upward trend that began in 2013. In 2020, the most recent year for which statewide data is available, air cargo tonnage grew by 3.2% from 1.99 million tons in 2019. Much of this increase can be attributed to the 9.5% increase in cargo shipped through Sea-Tac Airport between 2019 and 2020. In addition, Bellingham International Airport received Federal Aviation Administration approval in 2020 to begin shipping air cargo, increasing the overall capacity for air cargo in the state.

Sea-Tac Airport continued to handle the bulk of all air cargo in the state in 2020, with 66.2% of the statewide total according to the FAA. Sea-Tac Airport also provides daily, non-stop service to 91 domestic and 27 international destinations.

Sea-Tac air cargo tonnage holds steady from 2019 to 2020

According to the Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac handled approximately 454,584 metric tons of total cargo (not including plane weight) in 2020—an increase of 0.2% from 453,549 metric tons in 2019.

However, the percentage changes do not tell the entire story. Significant shifts occurred between international and domestic freight traffic. Sea-Tac's international cargo levels decreased by 33.2% from 2019 to 2020 due to a drop in international passenger flights carrying belly cargo, while the domestic air cargo went up by 14.6%, primarily due to e-commerceand express deliveries as demand increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019

Air cargo tonnage increases 1.9% from 2018 to 2019

Washington airports handled 1.99 million tons of cargo (plane plus cargo weight) in 2019, continuing an upward trend that began in 2013. In 2019, the most recent year for which statewide data is available, air cargo tonnage grew by 1.9% from 1.95 million tons in 2018. Much of this increase can be attributed to the 21% increase in cargo shipped through Snohomish County (Paine Field) Airport between 2018 and 2019.

Sea-Tac Airport continued to handle the bulk of all air cargo in the state in 2019, with 62.4% of the statewide total according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Sea-Tac Airport also provides daily, non-stop service to 91 domestic and 27 international destinations. FedEx was the top cargo carrier out of Sea-Tac in 2019, accounting for 30.5% of all cargo tonnage.

2018

Air cargo tonnage increases 3.6% from 2017 to 2018

Washington airports handled 1.95 million tons of cargo (plane plus cargo weight) in 2018, continuing an upward trend that began in 2013. In 2018, the most recent year for which data is available, air cargo tonnage grew by 3.6% from 1.88 million tons in 2017. Much of this increase can be attributed to the 6.5% increase in cargo shipped through Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport between 2017 and 2018.

Sea-Tac continued to handle the bulk of all air cargo in the state in 2018, with 63.2% of the statewide total according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Sea-Tac Airport also provides daily, non-stop service to 91 domestic and 27 international destinations. According to the Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac handled approximately 453,547 metric tons of total cargo (not including plane weight) in 2019—an increase of 4.9% from 432,315 in 2018.