Air cargo demand at the Spokane International Airport has remained strong despite the pandemic, according to data provided by the airport.

In September, the most recent month for which data is available, total cargo shipped through the Spokane International Airport increased to 12.2 million pounds of cargo, up 16.6% compared with September 2019, according to data provided by the airport.

A closer look reveals that cargo shipped out saw an 18.8% increase compared to volumes in the year-earlier month, and cargo unloaded increased 15.3% year over year.

During the first nine months of the year, total cargo shipped through the airport saw a more modest increase of 4%, or an increase of over 4 million pounds of cargo compared to the year-earlier period.

However, broken down, enplaned cargo during the first nine months decreased by 0.6%, which is a decrease of 252,000 pounds, while deplaned cargo increased 7.3% year-over-year through September, indicating that more is being shipped in than shipped out.

Todd Woodard, director of marketing and public affairs for the Spokane International Airport, says carrier-specific cargo data is proprietary and couldn’t provide further information.

The two major carriers through the airport are FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service.

A representative of FedEx declined to comment.

For the first quarter of its fiscal year 2021, ended Aug. 31, FedEx reported an increase of 10% in average U.S. daily freight pounds, up to 8.8 million from 8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2020.

Jim Mayer, public relations manager for UPS Airlines, says the company doesn’t release data by geographic location, and he didn’t respond immediately to requests for further comment. 

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation, domestic enplaned cargo revenue tons has seen a 5.7% increase through August this year, compared with the same period a year prior. 

 In the U.S., only the Pacific region saw increases in enplaned cargo, at 6.9%. Overall, enplaned cargo is down 0.5% in the U.S.