Heathrow Airport’s cargo volumes continue to grow strongly as the gateway handled 133,140 tonnes in February – a five per cent surge on the same month last year.
The airport said the growth in February was on the back of in North American and East Asian markets, securing Heathrow’s 19th consecutive month of record cargo growth.
In the first two months of the year, freight is up six per cent and on a rolling 12-month basis it is up 10.4 per cent.
Heathrow said the record cargo performance is “increasing the strain” on Britain’s global trading infrastructure and “underscores” the need to expand Heathrow at pace.
New analysis it carried out released in February revealed that six of Britain’s key trading routes, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of the trade through Heathrow are already full – including Shanghai, Tokyo Haneda, Delhi, Mumbai, Los Angeles and Dubai.
Heathrow chief executive officer, John Holland-Kaye said: “Today’s figures show that Heathrow is filling up fast – if we don’t act soon to expand our nation’s global gateway, the UK will only fall further behind our European rivals. A prosperous, global-trading Britain needs an expanded Heathrow now.”
A vote will be taken by MPs in the UK Parliament before the summer on whether Heathrow gets the go ahead to build a third runway. The project has already been endorsed by the Government over a 2nd runway at Gatwick Airport.
