Cargo volumes at Gatwick Airport have continued to grow at double-digit rates in June while Heathrow has seen its first fall in almost two years.
Gatwick Airport’s cargo volumes increased by 19.4 per cent to 9,354 tonnes in June, helped by its fast growing long-haul network.
Orlando, USA remains the most popular summer long-haul destination, Qatar Airways’ launched double-daily services to Doha in May and Air China provided a direct link to Chengdu at the beginning of July.
The airport’s chief executive officer, Stewart Wingate describes the performance of long-haul routes as “fantastic”, saying: “This follows news that £7.5 billion of international goods passed through Gatwick in 2017 – supporting 113,800 UK jobs – which really highlights the vital role the airport plays for its local community and the country as a whole.
“We’re currently exploring the best and most sustainable ways that Gatwick can continue to grow, in order to keep supporting the local and national economy and help Britain reap the benefits of greater global connectivity.”
On a rolling 12-month basis, cargo volumes at Gatwick have increased 25.6 per cent to 107,051 tonnes.
Over at Heathrow Airport, after 22 consecutive months of growth, cargo volumes fell by 2.1 per cent to 139,329 tonnes.
The three largest trade lanes all experienced drops in volumes with North America down 1.4 per cent to 50,260 tonnes, Asia Pacific by 1.1 per cent to 41,980 tonnes and the Middle East by 7.1 per cent to 20,851 tonnes.
In the first six months of 2018, cargo volumes at Heathrow increased by 2.2 per cent to 841,449 tonnes and by 6.6 per cent on a rolling 12-month basis to 1.7 million tonnes.
