11 June 2024
Bournemouth Airport, UK – 11th June 2024: Bournemouth Airport’s Cargo First air freight business and base operator European Cargo are gearing up for the autumn peak having seen continued growth on Far East to UK e-commerce trade routes.
The successful partnership combines Cargo First’s seamless handling operation and strategic location at Bournemouth Airport just 90 minutes from London, with European Cargo’s growing fleet of fully converted Airbus A340-600 long-haul freighters.
With three freighters already operating on China-UK routes (Chengdu and Haikou) and more aircraft commencing operations in the coming months, Cargo First and European Cargo are pitching Bournemouth as the go-to hub for peak season e-commerce and will jointly attend Air Cargo China in Shanghai later this month.
This comes at a time when the busy London hubs are already constrained and volatility in the Red Sea continues to drive multi-modal cargo solutions.
Bournemouth Airport Managing Director Steve Gill, said: “Our collaboration with European Cargo has established Bournemouth as a reliable and cost-effective hub for e-commerce and other air freight into the UK, with a proven track record of delivering a highly efficient service for time-sensitive consignments for our customers. With European Cargo’s additional freighters coming on stream shortly and the constraints facing other UK hubs, we see a significant opportunity to grow the market further as we ramp up for the peak season.”
Mr Gill said Cargo First had recruited 15 new staff to warehouse, aircraft handling and security roles in the last year and was looking at longer term infrastructure investment to create more dedicated cargo facilities at Bournemouth.
European Cargo’s Chief Executive Jason Holt added: “We recently celebrated the first anniversary of flights from Bournemouth to Chengdu and in our first year operated almost 300 flights carrying some 20,000 tonnes of cargo. With our fourth fully converted long-haul freighter expected to enter service in July and two more by October, we see continued growing interest in our aircraft and services. We continue to gear up to handle the autumn peak and accompanying additional services coming on stream in the next few months.”
At the core of European Cargo’s operations is the Airbus A340-600 long-haul freighter aircraft, renowned for its capability of non-stop flights over extended distances. With a maximum payload of 76 tonnes and a cargo capacity of 440 cubic metres, the A340-600 brings unique capabilities to the air freight market.
Both Bournemouth Airport and Cargo First are part of the UK’s privately-owned Regional and City Airports (RCA) group, providing a seamless operation to cargo customers. RCA also owns Coventry Airport, Exeter Airport and Norwich Airport and operates the XLR Executive Jet Centre FBO facilities at Birmingham, Bournemouth, Exeter and Liverpool airports.
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Notes to Editors
Cargo First is the fast-growing air cargo operation based at Bournemouth Airport in the United Kingdom. Established in 2021, Cargo First has proved itself as a viable alternative London gateway for regular commercial cargo traffic to and from South-East Asia and North America, as well as having excellent connections to North West Europe.
Cargo First has a unique One Team approach for all cargo and logistics requirements and ancillary aircraft services. With total flexibility over operations and flight schedules, Cargo First can ensure consignments are delivered quickly into the London market and beyond, without the associated inconvenience that comes from landing into a busy hub airport.
Both Bournemouth Airport and Cargo First are part of the UK’s privately-owned Regional and City Airports (RCA) group, which also owns Coventry Airport, Exeter Airport and Norwich Airport. RCA also operates the XLR Executive Jet Centre FBO facilities at Birmingham, Bournemouth, Exeter and Liverpool airports.
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European Cargo is the UK’s largest widebody cargo aircraft operator, operating Airbus A340-600F aircraft across a variety of scheduled programmes and charter flights. European Cargo has a fleet of 12 Airbus A340-600 aircraft with eight currently based at Bournemouth Airport.
Since 2022, European Cargo has been converting its aircraft to full freighters using a unique main deck cargo pod system. Four of the modified aircraft are currently converted. Six modified aircraft will be operational by October and ten aircraft by the end of 2025.
Each aircraft has a maximum payload of 76 tonnes with 440 cubic metre capacity across the upper and lower decks. The A340-600F is capable of non-stop flight over long distances, which along with its volumetric capacity, makes it extremely suitable for carrying e-commerce volumes from China to the UK.
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