ACW - Air Cargo Week
09/10/2009
UK gateway achieves cargo record
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The south of England's Kent International airport handled a record amount of cargo in July.
With a total of 3,467 tonnes passing through the airport, it overtook the previous best-ever result for July of 3,248 tonnes set in 2003.
In the April - July period, the freight throughput at the Infratil-owned airport increased by 64 percent compared with last year, attributable to the arrival of new operators at the airport and new flights added by existing customers.
Carriers such as Cargolux, MK Airlines and EgyptAir have been joined at the gateway by Allied Aviation, Kuzu (ULS), Air Charter Express, ACT, Meridian and Iris Air with the majority of the import freight arriving being fresh fruit and vegetables from Kenya and Ghana.
Welcoming the upturn in performance, airport CEO Matt Clarke commented: "In a time many are describing as a crisis for aviation we have experienced steady growth, as cost-conscious airlines seek out facilities that can deliver value for money and operational advantages over congested hub airports."
Freight development manager at Infratil Airports Nico Le Roux added: "The industry is very price-sensitive and we are able to offer competitive pricing for specialised handling facilities delivering fast and convenient access to the London distribution centres."
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