Airport team flying east to tempt cargo airlines

Stansted Airport’s ambition to secure more scheduled freighter services is top of the agenda as its cargo development team heads to South Korea this week to hold top level talks with potential new airlines.

The team is attending the International Air Cargo Forum in Seoul to showcase the world-class facilities on offer at the UK’s third busiest airport for cargo and raise its profile to a global audience of leading airlines from around the world to discuss possible new route and service opportunities.

M.A.G’s Cargo Director, Graeme Ferguson, is fronting the delegation along with Cargo Business Development Manager, Conan Busby, during the three day conference. Mr Ferguson said:

“Stansted is one of the largest cargo hubs in Britain with more than £9.5bn worth of cargo transported every year. We believe there is a significant opportunity to grow the cargo business at Stansted and we are committing considerable time and effort engaging with cargo operators from around the globe to demonstrate the fantastic facilities and world-class infrastructure available at the airport.

“With spare capacity to support significant growth and additional economic activity, M.A.G‘s ambition is to develop Stansted into the premier scheduled freighter airport for the UK. The airport sits at the heart of the London-Stansted-Cambridge growth corridor, and with the region booming and London’s economic activity shifting towards the east, Stansted is ideally placed to support businesses trading internationally and looking to compete in the global market place.

“Our visit to South Korea is an important first step in building relationships that could lead to more direct freight services operating between major international trading cities and London Stansted.”

More than 230,000 tonnes of freight is shipped annually on more than 11,000 cargo flights to over 200 countries. The operation transports thousands of tonnes of textiles, fruit and vegetables, electronics, pharmaceuticals, mail, horses and Formula One equipment to destinations in nearly every continent. The airport’s status as a major international cargo facility is reinforced by the number of industry leaders that operate from the airport – Asiana, FedEx, Martinair, Royal Mail, Panalpina, Silkway, Atlantic Airways, Titan, TNT and UPS.