West Atlantic U.K. moves to East Midlands Airport

The United Kingdom division of Swedish cargo airline West Atlantic is moving its operations from Coventry Airport (CVT) to East Midlands Airport (EMA) to be located closer to the carrier’s customers and to increase space needed for the airline’s expanding 737 fleet.

West Atlantic Group specializes in mail and express freight, and its customers based at East Midlands Airport include UPS, FedEx, Deutsche Post-DHL and the Royal Mail. In 2016, £9 billion of exports left the U.K. from EMA, bound for Latin America, Asia, North America and the Middle East.

According to West Atlantic U.K.’s managing director, Nigel Hiorns, the carrier outgrew its facilities at CVT with its in-house maintenance requirements and fleet expansion plans, “especially as we prepare to launch new converted Boeing 737-800 freighters in February 2018.” The new space the carrier is leasing at East Midlands totals 43,151 square feet.

MAG Property, Manchester Airports Group’s (MAG) property division, managed West Atlantic U.K.’s relocation. In addition to EMA, MAG owns Manchester, London Stansted and Bournemouth Airports. East Midlands Airport is located within a four-hour truck drive of 89 percent of England and Wales, according to MAG Property CEO Lynda Shillaw, who added, “That is why we are seeing a rapidly expanding cargo community around the airport.”