Heathrow Airport’s cargo volumes have continued strong growth in October while Gatwick Airport’s double-digit recovery continues as it plans more Chinese routes.
Heathrow’s volumes shot up 6.7 per cent to 141,444 tonnes with particularly strong growth from markets in Latin America and East Asia. It says Mexico was up 28 per cent, followed by China at 21 per cent and Brazil at 18 per cent. On a year-to-date basis, Heathrow volumes are up 2.6 per cent to 1.27 million tonnes.
Heathrow Airport chief executive officer (CEO), John Holland-Kaye says government approval for a third runway shows the UK is open for business, saying: “With the support of communities across the UK, Heathrow is now working at pace to deliver the benefits of Britain’s new runway – an affordable plan that creates more jobs, boosts exporters and builds an economy that is stronger and fairer for everyone – as quickly as possible.”
Over at Gatwick, cargo is continuing to recover, with volumes growing 22.8 per cent in October to 7,807 tonnes, having welcomed a number of new long haul routes to countries including Canada, China, Costa Rica, Nigeria, Peru and the US. Chinese trade is expected to grow further following Tianjin Airlines’ announcement it plans a direct route to Xi’an.
In the upcoming months, Gatwick will welcome British Airways flights to Cape Town, Fort Lauderdale and San Francisco, Thomas Cook services to Cape Town and Aeroflot services to Moscow.
Gatwick CEO, Stewart Wingate says: “The natural result of the airport’s long-haul growth to key markets is our increase in cargo, this month +23%, which is joined by strong growth in Gatwick’s regional connections across Britain, demonstrating Gatwick’s vital economic role both within Britain and internationally.”
Elsewhere in the UK, Manchester Airports Group’s airports all had a good month in the UK. Manchester Airport grew 14.5 per cent to 10,963 tonnes, Stansted Airport was up 2.8 per cent to 22,398 tonnes and East Midlands remained steady at 28,461 tonnes.
