Bournemouth Airport has officially launched a dedicated cargo service.
The airport said its new Cargo First service would help cement its place as one of the UK’s “newest trade links.”
From handling almost no cargo in April 2020, Bournemouth Airport will see 20,000 tonnes of throughput by the end of March 2022.
The airport said the growth made it the fastest growing UK cargo hub, based on 2020 statistics, and on the verge of breaking into the UK’s top 10 busiest cargo airports.
Its owners Regional & City Airports (RCA) are hoping uncongested airspace, open slot availability and cheaper tariffs compared to larger hubs will make Bournemouth a “compelling competitor” in the cargo market.
RCA bosses have said an “an ambitious development plan” is in place for Cargo First, including a multi-million-pound investment in infrastructure during the coming year.
The announcement comes after Bournemouth-based freight airline European Cargo Limited (ECL), which operates flights to the Far East and the US from the airport, secured funding to grow its fleet of aircraft.
Bournemouth Airport said its cargo operations had brought in hundreds of millions of items of PPE and test kits to the UK during the pandemic.
RCA chief executive Andrew Bell said: “The launch of Cargo First consolidates the critical work of the team at Bournemouth Airport during the past two years. We quickly recognised the opportunity to stand up a new trade lane and facilitate exports from the UK to the USA, as well as supporting the temporary demand for PPE and test kits.
“Cargo First is well connected to London by road and we can have consignments in the market faster than through hub airports. Additionally, our unique one team approach means our customers don’t have to deal with multiple vendors, giving them greater simplicity, efficiency, and speed-to-market.”
Bournemouth Airport managing director Steve Gill added: “We are excited to be putting energy and investment into our cargo operation, especially considering we’ve come from nowhere to be knocking on the door of the top 10 cargo airports in the country.
“We’ve already added nearly 100 jobs, and there is potential to create hundreds more over the next five years. It is an exceptional achievement, and we look forward to seeing our excellent service enjoyed by many more customers.”
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