HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has written to 145,000 VAT-registered businesses trading with the EU about simplified importing procedures and also updated them on the actions that they need to take to prepare. Transitional Simplified Procedures (TSP) for customs will make importing easier for an initial period of one year, should we leave the EU…

The government has announced plans to phase in for EU imports the pre-arrival forms known as Entry Summary Declarations, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Officials on Monday held a series of meetings with organisations who represent the haulage industry and handle a significant portion of the UK’s cross border trade, to…

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released full-year 2018 data for global air freight markets showing that demand, measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) grew by 3.5% compared to 2017. This was significantly lower than the extraordinary 9.7% growth recorded in 2017.  Freight capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometers (AFTKs), rose by 5.4% in…

The chaos at Gatwick last month emphasised the UK air freight sector’s over-reliance on the south-east region. When Heathrow and Gatwick are working at full tilt – which is almost all the time – they can claim to be the most efficient airports in the world. Between 19 and 21 December, thousands of flights were…