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If you have ordered online gifts for Christmas and they are coming from abroad, then the chances are they will arrive through East Midlands Airport (EMA) in time for the big day.
That latest electronic gadget coming from the Far East or fashion item from the US, will join approaching 400,000 tonnes of cargo handled by EMA each year, making it the UK’s largest dedicated air cargo operation.
It is also the UK’s number one airport for express freight with carriers DHL, UPS, FedEx and Royal Mail all operating out of the location with dedicated warehouses and hubs.
The proximity of the airport to the rail freight hub nearby and its position at the intersection of the M1, M42, A50 and A6 means goods can be in major centres around the UK within four hours.
And the increase in cargo handling looks set to continue, after September was EMA’s heaviest-ever month for cargo with 40,636 tonnes being handled – a 32% increase on the same month last year.
Forecasts suggest that during this year’s Christmas peak season, which runs through this month and next, the volume of goods may be up by 20,000 tonnes compared to last year.
(Image: Mag)
Cargo figures have soared following people’s increasing reliance on online shopping during this year’s Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with a reduction in passenger flights and a subsequent lack of belly-hold capacity (where cargo goes in the hold of passenger planes).
This has increased the use of air cargo operators and airlines and the knock-on effect is a mini-boom at EMA with additional cargo flights to and from East Midlands Airport and the USA.
Visiting the airport on the evening before the second lockdown, the car park was almost deserted and there was a distinct lack of activity around the terminals.
There was the smell of aviation fuel in the air – sufficient to suggest something was happening airside – but no major activity at 8pm because that was all still to come overnight.
(Image: Derbyshire Live)
Once through the terminal, it rapidly became obvious that there was actually plenty happening, with many of the 9,000 workers either on duty in massive warehouses, loading and unloading planes that come in with increasing frequency as the night progresses, or those whose job it is to keep them airworthy.
Numerous planes, sporting freight company logos, were “parked” – with many being loaded and ready to leave later.
And as each new plane came in, the aircraft marshal stepped forward with his wands and signalled the pilot to taxi to the allotted stand in a very well-choreographed move.
This was the signal for an army of staff to descend on the plane to refuel if needed and generally to check out everything – once the chocks have been put in place under the wheels.
(Image: Derbyshire Live)
And if the cargo containers are not ready and waiting, a fleet of them soon appeared from nearby warehouses ready for loading.
They are designed in shapes that mean they fit snugly into the main body of the aircraft, usually shaped and moulded on one side to slide in easily and snugly, alongside the plane’s inner body with their cargo on board.
Quite often, the first couple of cargo containers off a flight will contain packages, letters or documents – often items that need a personal signature and for which an emailed or photocopied version simply will not do.
The cost of sending these can be more than enough to pay for the whole flight and so carrying everything else on board is profit from then on in.
(Image: Mag)
Some of the more exotic cargo that has come in and out of the airport has included art works, one of which was worth $65 million, a European satellite and 13 Aston Martin cars each valued at £1 million.
Also the global motor-racing industry, complete with safety and doctors’ cars and television cameras, flies out of EMA three or four times a year.
As well as being home to an army of workers – 600 of which actually work for the airport itself – there are also 22 different species of birds to be found there and great care is taken to make sure they are protected but also that they do not interfere with the landing and take-off of planes – it is someone’s job to make sure they are scared off at critical times.
It is also home to an aircraft from a former era in the Rolls-Royce hangar where a Spitfire can be found. It can usually be seen around the display circuit between April and October and during the winter months the aircraft undergoes an annual maintenance inspection programme.
For plane-spotting enthusiasts, there are vantage points around the 10 km perimeter fence to watch the comings and goings of the A330s and A300s as well as the 747 that lands four times a week and also a 777.
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The airport covers enough land to be the equivalent of 100 football pitches and is unusual because aircraft are allowed to fly and in and out of there an unlimited amount in a 24-hour period.
When the airport first opened in 1965, no-one could have guessed that the relatively short-hop holiday flights to Jersey and Palma would one day give way to international links and now it is considered the region’s gateway to mainland Europe, Eastern Europe and North East Africa.
Over the last 12 months, the airport has facilitated £11bn of trade with non-EU countries and approximately £40 billion worth of goods to and from the EU and Latin America, Asia, North America and the Middle East, which are some of the biggest regions for exports.
(Image: Derbyshire Live)
Stephen Harvey, EMA head of cargo and general aviation, said: “Logistics operators based at EMA continue to grow in response to the unprecedented demand for e-commerce and next-day-deliveries. In recent years over £200m has been invested in new facilities which has helped create many new jobs for local people.”
UPS’s new facility, due to open in 2021, will employ over 1,000 people and will be one of its largest airside “hubs” outside the US.
Even over the summer months, traditionally the quieter time of year for air cargo, volumes at EMA were significantly up on the same time last year. In July and August, there was an increase of 21.2% and 18.5% in cargo volumes, respectively.
Mr Harvey said: “The lack of belly-hold availability on passenger planes has particularly impacted key markets, especially on popular routes to the US. Therefore there have been additional cargo flights to and from East Midlands Airport and the US.
“DHL Express has, in recent months, launched new routes to JFK Airport, Miami International and Los Angeles.”
(Image: Derbyshire Live)
In an unusual year for most things, EMA has also been an important cog in the transport of vital equipment to combat coronavirus such as PPE and other equipment, being flown in from Italy.
But of course, all of this is in stark contrast to the collapse in passenger traffic currently facing the UK’s aviation sector.
According to Mr Harvey: “The introduction of the UK Government’s quarantine regime and the often short-notice changes to the list of countries, and now the current lockdown, has resulted in passenger numbers falling by about 90%.
“This is why the UK aviation sector has called for urgent changes to the UK Government’s policies, including a regionalised approach to quarantine, the introduction of a robust testing regime and greater transparency over the methodology being used.”
The success of EMA’s cargo operation can be told through an amazing array of eye-watering statistics such as tonnages, numbers of flights, cargo worth, infrastructure investment and staffing numbers.
(Image: Mag)
But the most amazing thing is that most of this activity takes place when many of us are in our beds.
Up to 90 flights are in and out of EMA nightly, normally mirroring the daytime passenger activity in any other year than 2020.
And not forgetting that in a “normal year”, the airport is also served by airlines Ryanair, Jet2, TUI, Aurigny and Loganair.
They carried 4.9m passengers (pre-Covid) who use EMA each year to a choice of 80 international and domestic destinations.
Mr Harvey added: “Airports are key contributors to the regional economy. EMA’s annual gross value added (GVA) contribution equates to approximately £300m and it provides a £1bn economic uplift to businesses in the region.”
