Nick Platts to leave Heathrow cargo role

Nicks Platts will leave his position as head of cargo at Heathrow Airport on October 9 as he seeks a fresh challenge.

Platts said that he would move on to a fresh challenge as the cargo programme is “well advanced” and he has done all he can to “build advocacy across the business and wider community”.

In an email, he thanked contacts for support, advice and guidance over his seven years at Heathrow and the last four-and-a-half years that he has spent preparing the west London airport for the cargo growth to come.

Heathrow Airport declined to comment on its succession plans for the role.

His departure comes as the airport has been facing a difficult few months on the cargo front as a result of wider trade conditions.

The latest figures from Airports Council International Europe show that first-half freight volumes at the west London airport are 4.2% down on a year ago at 805,953 tonnes.

The overall European market is estimated to have declined by 3.5% over the same period.

Platts was appointed to the head of cargo role in 2015. At the time, he was the first person to lead the cargo business at the airport from around 20 years.

Previously he headed up ground handling at Heathrow and has also worked for FedEx.

He has spent the last few years trying to bring the airport’s cargo community closer together and drive increased transparency and digitisation.

Part of this drive included the launch of Heathrow CargoCloud, a digital platform developed by Nallian.

• CargoCloud to clear the air at Heathrow

• Planning to replace Heathrow’s cargo ‘horseshoe’

• The full list of Heathrow’s ten cargo commandments for staying Green

Companies that subscribe to the load consolidation app will be able to exchange and share information about any spare capacity on their vehicles, or ask for help on a load they need to be transported.

Plans are also being developed for a new cargo centre at the airport as it prepares for a third runway.