London Heathrow International Airport has brought together a range of freight stakeholders into a new collaborative body called the Cargo Community Steering Committee.
The Cargo Community Steering Committee is intended to ensure that both the airport’s daily operations and longer-term investments “bring the best value to all of [its] customers”, Heathrow said.
An announcement was made by the gateway regarding the formation of the new body at Air Cargo Europe, being held in Munich this week between June 2 and 4.
Members of the Cargo Community Steering Committee, which is chaired by Heathrow, include hauliers, forwarders, ground handlers and airlines.
More specifically, it includes representatives from IAG Cargo, the Airline Operators Committee Cargo (representing airlines), Aviation Services UK (representing ground handlers), the British International Freight Association (BIFA, representing forwarders), Goldstar and Mixed Freight (representing hauliers) and SEGRO (representing property companies).
BT’s CCS-UK chosen to improve landside efficiency
In other news, Heathrow has selected BT’s CCS-UK Advanced Information System (AIS) as its preferred landside cargo movement slot booking system.
The decision to choose AIS was made, the airport said, after its cargo community was invited to review several suppliers’ products.
“BT brings significant operational understanding and in-depth knowledge of Heathrow’s community and geography, together with integration with its existing customs capabilities,” a statement put out by Heathrow said.
“By implementing AIS across our cargo estate, Heathrow’s cargo community is looking forward to being able to better plan and manage landside traffic flows, increasing the efficiency of pickups and drop-offs of time-sensitive cargo and reducing waiting times.”
Heathrow expects to see an overall reduction in vehicle movements and congestion following implementation of AIS.
Plus, a new landside truck parking facility is now being trialled, one that offers vehicles a safe place to wait away from the main cargo estate and one that feature welfare facilities for truck drivers.
James Golding, head of cargo and airline partnerships at Heathrow, remarked: “Together, our new approach to engagement across our cargo community, the implementation of AIS, our truck parking facility trial, and data-led focus will ensure we continue growing Heathrow’s cargo proposition to be fit for the future.”
Heathrow’s Landside Congestion Working Group, which comprises representatives from across the airport’s cargo community, reports to the Cargo Community Steering Committee.
Over 72% of all UK air cargo by value moves through Heathrow, and in 2024 it facilitated the import and export of over 1.58 million tonnes of cargo worth £215.6bn.
