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…

Heathrow has been given the green light to spend £43m on its cargo activities – but input from carriers could stretch the budget further. Head of Heathrow Cargo Nick Platts has long campaigned for a freight budget, and now has a five-point plan for the cash. But one item on his wish list – a “forecasting and…

In a landmark vote yesterday, Parliament unambiguously (415-119) backed expanding Heathrow – ending decades of political debate on one of the UK’s most pressing infrastructure issues. MPs from across political parties joined forces to support the Government’s Airports National Policy Statement. The vote clears the way for Heathrow to submit an application for development consent for…

The UK government has backed plans for the development of a new runway at Heathrow Airport. The UK Cabinet’s economic sub-committee approved plans for a third runway at the London airport before the proposals were backed by the full cabinet. The UK secretary of state for transport Chris Grayling said: "A successful, thriving aviation sector…

London-Heathrow airport cargo volumes enjoyed their 21st consecutive record month in April 2018, as trade growth at the UK’s largest port by value increased by 2.3% year on year to 141,215 tonnes compared to the same time last year. The US (+4.1%), India (+7.1%) and China (+10.9%)  were among the fastest growing countries for cargo in April.…

Freight travelling through Heathrow reached record levels for the start of the year, as over 133,000 tonnes made its way through the airport in January, with export volumes growing by 10.6%. The top destinations for cargo growth were the US (1,214t), Spain (1,070t) and China (966t). Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “Heathrow is off to…

Heathrow has released new data revealing the wide array and surprising volumes of seasonal exports that fly in the bellyhold of planes in the months leading up to Christmas.   Over 143 million kilograms of Christmas cargo is expected to fly via Heathrow to the world in the month leading up to December 25th, a record…

It has been decided that plans for a 6th terminal will be halted to keep costs down whilst the 3rd runway is being built.   Heathrow published its half yearly report last month, which made no mention of the proposed plans.  Instead it stated that further investment in terminals 2 and 5 will go ahead…