East Midlands Airport Expands Cargo Operations with Swissport’s New Facility Investment

The growth of air cargo operations at East Midlands Airport has prompted freight handling firm Swissport to invest in a new facility that trebles its capacity.

Swissport worked with the airport’s commercial team to move to larger on-site premises to meet growing demand, with volumes it handles doubling year-on-year and projected to continue well into 2026.

This move is the latest in Swissport’s global commitment to be the provider of choice of e-commerce handling services across its global network of 117 warehouses.

The airport has recently attracted four new cargo airlines, all operating dedicated 777 or 747 freighter aircraft, leading to a 17.4% rise in volumes amounting to more than 103,000 tonnes of freight from May to July compared with last year. Swissport is providing cargo handling services for three of these – Saudia Cargo, Ethiopian Cargo and Atlas Air – along with One Air which moved its operations from Heathrow to East Midlands last year. This has led to an increase from almost 19,000 tonnes handled by Swissport from August to July 2023/4 to close to 37,000 tonnes for the same period this year.

Aviation experts have estimated that East Midlands could see a cargo volume growth of 54% in the next 20 years, prompting the development of a long-term plan to meet the demand which could see four runway-side plots developed with new warehousing and aircraft stands.

Swissport moved into its new facility in April, just ahead of the new airlines beginning to operate frequent China-UK routes via East Midlands. It has been fitted out with a new truck dock, a caster deck system that can store up to 60 aircraft positions of cargo, and a front-to-back system automated speed lane to enable unitised cargo to travel through the facility. It is currently handling 21 flights a week, with Swissport forecasting it will handle more than 50,000 tonnes in 2026.

Swissport is looking to build on its successful operation and grow its team further at East Midlands, by seeking to secure agreements with other cargo carriers and developing export services including complex shipments such as vehicles and aircraft engines.

East Midlands Airport’s Head of Aviation David Craig said: “We’re delighted that one of our key airport partners is playing an integral role in the ongoing development, growth and success of our cargo operation. We were pleased to work with Swissport to identify a building close to one of our cargo aprons that has allowed them to treble their capacity and invest in improved facilities.

“This has enabled them to benefit from our immediate growth in cargo operations after we landed deals with new cargo operators, and we are keen to continue our dialogue with them as we prepare for longer term growth.”

Swissport UK & Ireland Chief Commercial Officer Luke Hayhoe said: “The growth we’ve seen at East Midlands Airport is a true testament to the power of strong partnership and shared ambition. Our collaboration with the team at Manchester Airports Group has enabled us to scale up quickly, respond to evolving customer needs, and deliver real value to the cargo community.

“With increasing volumes, new carrier relationships, and ongoing infrastructure investment, together we’re building a sustainable, high-performance cargo gateway that’s not only meeting today’s demand but shaping the future of freight in the region and beyond.”