The UK’s East Midlands Airport (EMA) has seen freight volumes increase by double-digit percentages over the past few months on the back of new cargo airline customers.
During the May-July period, the airport registered a 17.4% year-on-year increase in cargo volumes to 103,000 tonnes.
Drilling down further into the numbers, volumes were up 19% year on year in July, 24% in June and 9.7% in May.
The increase is ahead of overall numbers for Europe this year. According to Airports Council International Europe, overall volumes at Europe's airports increased by 0.6% in the first half.
The volume improvements at EMA come after a series of new airline wins. In May, China Airlines began a twice-weekly service on behalf of logistics firm YunExpress, followed by services from Atlas Air, Ethiopian Cargo and Saudia Cargo.
Last year, UK-based freighter operator One Air switched operations from Heathrow to EMA to capitalise on the airport's central location and “efficient operations”, EMA said.
Looking ahead, Cental Airlines has plans to increase its service to five-times-weekly in the coming months, and One Air is next month adding scheduled services to its current charter operation, with four flights per week running to Liege, Dubai and Hong Kong. There are also plans to add 777 freighters.
”The growth comes amid a range of geopolitical issues influencing global trade flows and has been driven in part by the arrival of four new operators running routes between China and the UK,” EMA said.
“The airlines have been attracted by the flexibility of East Midlands’ 24/7 operation and its strategic location at the heart of the UK.”
To respond to extra cargo activity, the airport has recently reconfigured its cargo aprons so that out of 27 cargo stands, 12 can now take wide-bodied aircraft, up from seven previously.
There are also plans to develop other areas of the airport into cargo facilities.
"That will include 122,000 sq m of warehouse space, new taxiways and stands for up to 18 more aircraft," the airport said.
"The plans anticipate a 54% growth in express freight cargo volumes over the next 20 years and could support more than 20,000 new jobs and an uplift of almost £4bn for the economy."
EMA managing director Steve Griffiths said: "We know businesses trading internationally want to get their goods in and out of the country seamlessly, and East Midlands Airport has long played a vital role, forming the backbone of express freight that powers the growth of advanced manufacturing and other high-value industries.
“Our recent success in attracting new airlines and growing our cargo volumes points to the appeal of our unrivalled cargo operation and strategic location at the heart of the UK. The new carriers represent a further boost to businesses trading with one of the world’s most important economies."
