London’s Stansted Airport cargo volume increased by 9.4 percent, on the previous 12 months, with 233,239 tonnes shipped through its doors. In July 2015 alone, 20,732 tonnes of freight was transported through Stansted. Part of this was due to the backlog caused by labor and immigrant problems at the Channel Tunnel port of Calais, France.
“It’s great to see a growing airport, and over the last few months we have been growing at double the rate of Heathrow and Gatwick,” said Andrew Harrison, the airport’s managing director. “It’s a great reflection on the East of England region and its economic vibrancy.”
Meanwhile, at London-Heathrow, cargo volume for July was down 5.4 percent, compared with July 2014, with 121,240 metric tonnes moving through the facility last month. For January through July, Heathrow handled 863,086 tonnes of cargo, up 1 percent y-o-y.
It’s no secret that Heathrow officials badly want a third runway. The British International Freight Association has said that the U.K. could run out of airport capacity, but the debate over which airport gets a third runway centers around Heathrow and Gatwick, which are at loggerheads over the issue. Heathrow has been recommended by an independent government-appointed commission, but representatives of Gatwick say the numbers are flawed.