Aviation Minister Keir Mather visited East Midlands Airport to discuss air freight growth, hearing how the airport’s cargo operation delivers £6 billion annually to the UK economy.
Aviation, Maritime and Freight Minister Keir Mather has described East Midlands Airport (EMA) as “a true powerhouse for UK trade” following a visit to discuss the future of air freight with sector leaders.
During the visit, the Minister heard how East Midlands Airport’s cargo operation grew by 12.5 per cent last year, accounting for more than a third of all air cargo growth across the UK, a key driver of the £6 billion economic impact the centrally located gateway delivers each year. Mather saw first-hand how the airport connects firms in the Midlands and beyond, operating in sectors central to the Government’s industrial strategy, to hundreds of major economic hubs around the globe.
Following the visit, Mather said: “East Midlands Airport is a true powerhouse for UK trade, connecting businesses with markets around the world through 100 freight flights a day, and supporting thousands of jobs.”
East Midlands Airport is also a major hub for the region’s logistics industry, delivering goods to 90 per cent of the UK’s population within four hours, owing to its central location. The Minister led a round table discussion on the future of air freight with representatives from the aviation and logistics sectors.
The visit followed a Department for Transport report highlighting the importance of night flights for express freight and next-day delivery, with up to 50 per cent of air cargo tonnage moving overnight. East Midlands Airport is the UK’s busiest express freight hub, with major operators DHL, UPS and FedEx based on site, relying on next-day delivery models for goods including pharmaceuticals, electronics, aircraft parts, medical supplies and e-commerce. Exports alone totalled £13 billion last year, on average 34 times higher in value than all other UK ports.
Mather heard how East Midlands’ cargo volumes grew to top 400,000 tonnes for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, supported by several new cargo airlines choosing the airport as their UK gateway, helping drive an extra £2 billion in economic contribution last year. He was also shown, from the airport’s Air Traffic Control tower, four plots totalling 50 hectares earmarked for development over the next 20 years, two of which, along with a third site to the south, form part of the East Midlands Freeport.
Steve Griffiths, Managing Director of East Midlands Airport, said: “I was pleased to be able to show him how we are in a unique position to expand our operation without the need for a new runway and deliver significant economic growth by supporting key industries such as the advanced manufacturing, pharmaceutical, aerospace and logistics sectors.”
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