Our local airport is Europe’s busiest!
Having slipped to Europe’s 10th busiest airport during the pandemic, London Heathrow has regained its number one crown in Europe and is in 2nd place for the busiest airport for international flights, behind Dubai.
Heathrow regained its status as Europe’s busiest hub airport during the summer beating its rivals in Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Madrid.
The airport has lifted its cap on passenger numbers, put in place to limit disruption due to staff shortages, as resource levels across the airport, airlines and ground handlers have increased and the airport’s focus in the next 12 months is to get capacity, service levels and resilience back to pre-pandemic levels.
In 2021, Heathrow was the UK’s most valuable port, seeing £153bn in non-EU imports and exports passing through the hub, handling 75% of all UK air cargo and more cargo by value than all other UK airports combined and serving 354 destinations in the process.
Heathrow’s cargo tonnage has risen to 87% of pre-pandemic levels, which is less than Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam, who’s cargo volumes have recovered quicker, due to less reliance on the belly-hold cargo capacity that is dependent on passenger flights.
Despite the slip in cargo recovery, Heathrow remains confident for the future with plans to invest in infrastructure over the next fIve years and will grow the airport’s cargo proposition, in cooperation with the Heathrow Cargo Community, to develop the strategy in four key areas:
- Working with government and industry to grow efficiency
- Leading a collaborative approach with all stakeholders
- Developing world class, sustainable cargo facilities
- Supporting the adoption of technology to reduce cargo throughput times
Being a world leading transport hub, Heathrow’s cargo proposition is compelling and underlines why it is such a critical component in the success of our global air freight operations:
- Over 350 destinations
- Multiple daily frequencies
- Easy access to key manufacturers
- Unrivalled connections opportunities
- Ideally located for key business clusters
- High value and specialised handling capability
While we continue to handle increasing air cargo volumes, we monitor market capacity and service opportunities that will benefit our customers.
We find solutions for every critical and time-sensitive shipment. Please EMAIL Colin Redman to discuss your situation, requirements and potential solutions.