More cargo, fewer flights at Detroit Metro Airport

Cargo traffic was up but the total number of flights was down at Detroit Metro Airport last year, the Wayne county Airport Authority reported today.

The airport also saw more international travelers.

Cargo shipped increased 6% over 2011, to 483 million pounds. The increase in cargo traffic at Metro bucked a worldwide trend, which saw air freight decline 1.5% last year.

Meanwhile, the total number of flights at the airport -- including both passenger and cargo take-offs and landings -- fell 3.4%, to 427,814.

Thirty two million passengers flew through Detroit Metro last year, about the same as in 2011. But the proportion of those who were international travelers was up.

About 2.8 million international tourists flew through Metro, up 6.8% from the year before.

Delta remains the airport’s largest passenger carrier, with 78.5% of traffic. Southwest and subsidiary Air Tran are second, with 5.3% of passengers. Spirit is third, with 4.6%. Some new domestic routes will begin this year, including a Southwest non-stop to Fort Myers, a Spirit non-stop to Denver and Frontier’s non-stop to Trenton, N.J.