International airfreight in 2013 at Miami International Airport grew 2 percent year over year.
International air cargo originating and clearing customs inspection at MIA reached more than one million tonnes, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Origin/destination (O&D) freight represented 59 percent of the total of 1.85 million tonnes of international cargo moved through MIA in 2013. The remaining 41 percent was shipped through MIA in-transit to third-country destinations.
“The Department of Commerce’s data is encouraging news for our local economy,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said. “Year after year, MIA continues to reach new heights in passenger and cargo traffic as our top generator of jobs and business revenue in Miami-Dade County’s trade and tourism sectors.”
High-tech goods were MIA’s top export commodity group, with values from MIA to Latin America and the Caribbean alone totaling US$1.1 billion (798 million euros) per month in 2013. The top import commodity group in value through MIA in 2013 was gold, jewelry and gems, totaling US$7.1 billion (5.1 billion euros) for the year.
While international O&D freight tonnage showed modest growth in 2013, the commercial value of MIA’s O&D freight decreased by 2 percent compared to 2012 due in part to a slowdown in the global gold trade and a sharp 32-percent decrease in Venezuela exports and imports.
MIA’s international air trade in 2013, valued at US$68.5 billion (49.6 billion euros), accounted for 96 percent of Florida’s total air trade value and 44 percent of the state’s combined total air and sea trade values.
In 2013, MIA handled 85 percent of all air imports and 80 percent of all air exports between the U.S. and the Latin American/Caribbean region.
Colombia was MIA’s top trade partner measured by weight in 2013 with more than 240,000 tonnes of goods, while Brazil led all international trade partners in dollar value with nearly US$13.2 billion (9.5 billion euros) worth of goods through MIA.
“MIA’s continued foothold as the gateway of the Americas for air trade is a welcome sign for our local, regional and state economies,” Miami-Dade aviation director Emilio T. González said.