San Jose airport night flight ban cuts air cargo further

SAN JOSE airport officials say falling Silicon Valley exports, further depressed by the global downturn and a new night flight ban have all combined to bring down air cargo volume more than 60 per cent between 2000 and 2009.
This comes as Mineta San Jose International Airport has built a new terminal, which now prompts airport officials to focus on passengers and cut back on freight, according to a report by the San Jose Mercury News.
One plan would reduce the acreage set aside for cargo from 53 acres to 28, and increase the 56 acres now designated for general aviation (which includes both small private aircraft and corporate jets) to 102 acres.
Not that the passenger side is that promising. From 2000 to 2009, annual air passenger volume at the airport fell from 13.1 million to 8.3 million, or 36 per cent, with the annual number of flights dropping from 287,000 to 146,000, or 49 per cent.