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DAILY NEWS
GATEWAY TO GROWTH
B
ournemouth Airport is doubling down on its growing role in the UK’s logistics network, aiming to become the country’s e-commerce gateway of choice. Off the back of its busiest ever year for cargo— 31,000 tonnes handled—the airport has launched a major expansion plan designed to cement its position as a fast, efficient alternative to
the congested London hubs. “Bournemouth has just celebrated its busiest ever year for air cargo, putting us
at number eight in the UK in terms of airports handling airfreight,” Bob Matharoo, head of cargo at Bournemouth Airport, said. “As impressive as these figures are, this still equates to only around 1 percent of the total air cargo traffic in and out of the UK. We have a clear target to double cargo throughput in the coming years, cementing our position as the e-commerce gateway of choice for the UK.” That growth hinges not only on capacity but on geography. Located just 90
minutes from west London’s freight corridor, Bournemouth is pitching itself as delivering fast, efficient access to London, the UK Midlands and beyond, as the cornerstone of its appeal to international cargo operators seeking to import goods into these critical market regions of the UK. “When you add together the fact that we are just 90 minutes from the key west
of London freight warehouse zone, together with our proven ability to process goods from aircraft to highway substantially faster than the main London hubs, this means we have a demonstrable capability to get consignments into those distribution centres quicker than via the London airports themselves,” Matharoo said. “There’s no doubt that this is a key selling point for carriers considering a Bournemouth operation.” “For many carriers, exporting from the UK is a far greater nut to crack. Our growing
reputation for efficiency and cost-effectiveness—with many now regarding us as a de facto additional access point for London—means that we’re starting to generate true market awareness as an alternative export hub too.”
£60 million investment To meet rising demand, the airport is rolling out a phased cargo expansion
programme as part of a substantial site-wide investment. “We have a master plan to expand and enhance our cargo facilities—everything
from airfield and aircraft parking infrastructure to processing warehouse capacity,” Matharoo explained. “The first phase of this development for cargo will be delivered this summer as part of a £60 million investment which our owners are making into the airport this year. We look forward to formally announcing the opening of those facilities shortly.”
The new infrastructure will include improved aircraft parking directly outside
an expanded warehouse, upgraded handling systems, and better truck access to reduce processing times. “We already have a very efficient turnaround handling process, and our new
facilities will include enhanced handling infrastructure aimed at driving further efficiencies,” Matharoo explained. “Fundamentally, aircraft will be parked directly in front of the new warehouse facility. There will be new systems in place within the warehouse to enable even more efficient cargo handling, and there will also be improved access and capacity for trucking operations to further improve overall consignment processing time from touchdown to highway.”
Expanding reach While e-commerce forms the core of the airport’s throughput, Bournemouth is seeing growing demand for outbound UK-manufactured goods, including Scottish salmon and specialist automotive parts. “We currently position ourselves as a specialist e-commerce gateway for
the UK, and this encompasses a wide range of time-sensitive FMCG,” Matharoo expressed. “As we’ve developed, we’ve started to see a growing demand also for UK-manufactured export goods—anything from Scottish salmon to specialist UK- made tyres for Formula 1 cars.” “We see future diversification centred on the core capabilities we’re already
known for—that being time-sensitive cargo. That will likely open up opportunities for anything from express mail to pharmaceuticals and perishables,” he added.
Eye on sustainability Despite rapid expansion, the airport is committed to managing its environmental impact. Bournemouth Airport is a member of the Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme and achieved Level 2 accreditation in 2024. To achieve this level, an airport must provide evidence of effective carbon management procedures, including target setting, and show that a reduction in the carbon footprint has occurred by comparing its latest carbon footprint to the emissions of the previous years. Across RCA’s estate, year-on-year emissions were cut by 8.2 percent from 2023 to 2024. “We have set ourselves the target of achieving net zero across our own
operations by 2040,” Matharoo confirmed. And in a rare blend of aviation and biodiversity, the airport also manages part of
its land as protected heathland. “There can’t be many airports in the world that can count a herd of goats as part of their overall ‘team’ resource!” Matharoo joked.
www.aircargoweek.com
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