Looking at serious aspects as well as the lighter side of air cargo, the human interest stories and some ideas on what people are thinking
Blaze destroys LHR facility, but SkyCargo keeps aloft
FIREFIGHTERS battled fierce flames and billowing clouds of smoke on 9 July as a serious blaze destroyed the Servisair Cargowarehouse on the south- ern boundary of London Heathrow airport. The fire is reported to have
broken out after a forklift truck burst into flames and in the warehouse. Within a few minutes, up
100 firemen with 20 appli- ances were on the scene trying to control the blaze, with reports adding that exploding
propane gas cylinders were adding to the problems. Surrounding roads were
closed as an exclusion zonewas set up around the building and a dense column of smoke could be seen fromWindsor,which is about 6km away from the
facility on the Southern Perimeter Road of the UK’s main air freight gateway. Some 200 peoplewere evac-
uated from the warehouse and surrounding buildings, but there were no injuries to any staff on the premises. Opened only a few years
ago, the modern Servisair Cargo building handled air freight for Emirates SkyCargo and Jet Airways, among other carriers. By the Monday (12 July)
following the blaze, Emirates SkyCargo issued a statement saying it was accepting both inbound and outbound cargo throughHeathrow. Independent ground han-
dler PlaneHandling is helping out, with export cargo being accepted at its Heathrow Radius Park facility, while import
cargo is being
processed through its West Point building at the airport. Emirates SkyCargo has expressed gratitude to its busi-
DAVIESTURNERAirCargo, the air freight armof the inde- pendentUKfreight forwarder, is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary with a hat-trick of achievements that will ready the operation for its third decade of trading. The company has secured
re-accreditation to the presti- gious Investors in People stan- dard aswell as ISO9001:2008 quality assurance. At the same time,HMRev-
enue and Customs has com- pleted the audit and revalida- tion of the company’s status as an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO). According toDavies Turner Air Cargo managing director
Baxter credits “hard work”
Denham Baxter, the awards reflect “the hard work that all staff put in to ensure our internal processes for the
ness partners Plane Handling, Servisair and BAA, as well as HM Revenue & Customs and theUKDepartment forTrans- port, for their invaluable help during the crisis period. SkyCargo noted: “Without
the co-operation and profes- sionalism of these parties, this quick restoration of operations would not have been possible”. Jay Shelat, vice president
cargo at Jet Airways, which also uses the Servisair facility to handle its UK air freight, said the Indian carrier was utilising
the cargo handling services of Menzies at Heathrow as an interim solution to handle the freight on its B777 services. “Menzies already supplies
our cargo trucking services in the UK,” Shelat pointed out. Exactly what caused the
blaze to take hold with such ferocity is under investigation by the fire authorities involved. A spokesman for Servisair Cargo said that the Heathrow facility would be rebuilt, but no forward plans had yet been finalised.
Davies Turner celebrates 20 years in style
development and manage- ment of people meet the required standards”. Davies Turner Air Cargo
became one of the first AEO- accredited companies any- where in the European Union when it received full certifica- tion in April 2008. Baxter added: “Davies
Turner Air Cargo will play our part in the country’s economic recovery by ensuring the timely and cost-efficient deliv- ery of UK products to and frommarkets worldwide. “This is what we have been
doing for the last 20 years and we have every intention of continuing to do so for at least another 20 years and beyond.”
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19 July 2010
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