Hubs

What makes a Hub for international shipping? Is it the frequency of shipments that come through, the makeup of the companies that reside there or the overall access to other ports and airports to the region? Really all three are true. Depending on the type of global shipping services being offered, international cargo shipping companies create hubs based on their needs in the areas that they are servicing. For many companies, the hub has developed out of necessity. This means that some shipping carriers will be using a larger port as their hub since the flow of goods is so great going through and location is such that there are easy connections to serviced areas. With that in mind, this can also be a case of which came first. Is it a hub because of the traffic or is there traffic because of it being a hub. It is most likely a combination of the two. Over time international freight shipping companies have developed their trade lanes and more industry has grown as a result. On the contrary, airline hubs can be chosen for completely different reasons. As much as they are built up because of traffic, airlines are also looking for the best fuel efficiencies for the many flights that will go in and out of their hubs. Some airports that are now hubs were originally fuel stops on the path to other regions. And as a hub builds with one company, it can also pave the way for smaller companies since the facilities and resources have grown. With this ripple effect, the largest ports and airports in the world have developed.