POLITICS


Airport remains a lifeline for the local economy


Recently released figures once again underlined the crucial role that East Midlands Airport (EMA) plays in keeping the regional and national economies moving. As the Government’s coronavirus lockdown rules were announced, the number of cargo aircraft movements at EMA increased by an average of 7.4% a day. Business Network takes a closer look at how the airport, and the wider transport and logistics sector in the East Midlands, helps make the country tick.


The East Midlands, and Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire in particular, are famed for many things. Robin Hood, Richard III, the Peak District and


the Industrial Revolution are all celebrated parts of our history and heritage. However, one of the jewels in our crown that


perhaps sometimes doesn’t get the recognition it deserves is East Midlands Airport, the hub around which a thriving transport and logistics sector coalesces. As the UK’s biggest pure freight airport, EMA


plays a key role in helping businesses across Britain get their goods in and out of the country. To use a medical analogy, the airport sits at


the heart of the UK’s transport infrastructure and is supported by a complex network of arteries that carry the lifeblood of British business to the parts of the country that need it. When the coronavirus lockdown restrictions


were announced, every other major airport saw aircraft movements fall by at least 60%. East Midlands, on the other hand, bucked the trend and continued to operate 60% of its scheduled flights. Unlike most airports, however, the aircraft


operating out of EMA have been filled with products rather than people. The growth was driven by a sudden need for


more urgent medical and PPE equipment, including facemasks, more ad-hoc flights as EMA took on additional capacity from other airports that are closed at night, and a reduction in long- haul passenger flights from other UK airports which would normally carry urgent cargo


28 business networkMay 2020


alongside passenger luggage. Strict social distancing measures led to more


people shopping online and ordering goods for home delivery, many of which came from overseas stockists. It also benefitted from increased operations by well-established carriers that have the infrastructure and broader international network supply chains in place at EMA.


‘EMA sits at the apex of an area dubbed the ‘golden triangle’, which spans the south from Northamptonshire and as far west as Tamworth’


While passenger flights were hit hard due to


restrictions on overseas travel, cargo movements increased. EMA demonstrated its national importance


and resilience, bringing critical supplies, like face masks and hospital equipment, into the country at this time of crisis. It’s perhaps of little surprise that the airport


fared better than many of its contemporaries across the UK and, indeed, Europe. Over the past two years, more than £200m


has been invested into bespoke handling facilities at EMA by the world’s largest logistics companies, establishing it as the UK’s busiest and most important airport for dedicated cargo planes. Positioned only a four-hour drive to 90% of the population of England and Wales, EMA’s


central location means vital supplies flown into the UK can be with those who need them most urgently very soon after landing, wherever they are in the country. Employees at the airport, alongside logistics


giants DHL, UPS, FedEx and Royal Mail, have been designated as key workers by Government and are working around the clock to ensure next-day-deliveries, many of which are essential items for hospitals, shops and people isolated at home. Between them, they are handling more than 1,000 tonnes a day. EMA has always been an engine of growth in


the UK, supporting tens of thousands of jobs, adding over £1bn to the regional GVA, and handling around £40bn of international trade. However, at these challenging times, the


airport is proving to be more important than ever, providing a lifeline to businesses, society and the economy. It is supported by a wide and complex transport and logistics sector in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and beyond, which covers land, air, sea, warehousing and courier services. Employing over 28,000 people, it is one of the


region’s key sectors, in terms of the economic contribution it makes, but also the jobs it supports. EMA sits at the apex of an area dubbed the


‘golden triangle’, which spans the south from Northamptonshire and as far west as Tamworth. The golden triangle is bustling with huge transport and logistics operators, as well as being in proximity to the huge distribution centres of supermarkets, high street stores and myriad Midlands-based supply chain companies.


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