Heathrow airport details “Christmas cargo” stats

Over 143,000 tonnes of “Christmas cargo” is expected to fly via London Heathrow airport in the month leading up to December 25, a record to date, said the UK hub’s management.
A statement added: “The airport’s data from November and December 2016 shows a clear spike in the volume of certain Christmas staples coming into the airport and out to non-European Union (EU) destinations,” including: 

• Christmas lighting sets – 27,467 kg (up from an average of 7,203 kg/month from January – October)
• Frozen lobster – 443,146 kg (up from an average of 163,312 kg/month from January – October)
• Calendars – 31,316 kg (up from an average of 3,382 kg/month from January – October)
• Dried flowers, including for decorations – 310,677 kg (up from an average of 109,796 kg/month from January – October)

Salmon was the most popular export to non-EU destinations overall by weight in November and December 2016, with 6,070 tonnes of fish handled. Exports of books were the second most popular commodity – with a recorded 4,834 tonnes last year.
Heathrow’s data also reveals the top five cargo destinations outside the EU – showing the majority of long-haul exports are destined for American markets:
1.       United States (15.31m kilograms)
2.       China (6.20m kilograms)
3.       UAE (3.77m kilograms)
4.       Australia (3.36m kilograms)
5.       Hong Kong (2.77m kilograms)
To highlight the “wide array of exports flying out of its gates”, Heathrow Airport management has today launched a “12 Exporters of Christmas” social media campaign.  
Each day in the lead up to Christmas, Heathrow will highlight individual stories of SMEs up and down the country that rely on the airport to export British Christmas essentials including tea, jams and biscuits across the world. 
In total, Heathrow has seen a record 290,340 tonnes of exports handled from January to October to non-EU destinations this year – an 8.5% increase from the same period last year. These exports are worth £39.62bn.
Nick Platts, Head of Cargo at Heathrow Airport said:  “Heathrow is at its busiest time at Christmas – and this year, we not only expect record numbers of passengers to fly through, but also a record amount of cargo to be flown in the holds under their feet. 
“Santa may still have the claim on the most deliveries on Christmas Eve, but for the months before it, Heathrow is doing its bit to export our British Christmas across the world.”
All figures – unless indicated – exclude EU27 and Switzerland.Sources of figures: UK Tradeinfo, Seabury Group, Heathrow Analysis and Heathrow Monthly Traffic Figures