American Cargo breaks volume records at Heathrow

The American Airlines Cargo team at Heathrow (LHR) broke its fourth daily record since August 2016, moving nearly 489.8 tonnes of freight into and out of LHR, a record for a single day’s throughput. Record-breaking volumes through LHR are even more remarkable, given that the airport has been operating at virtual maximum capacity for some time now. Currently, London’s Heathrow airport is operating at 99 percent capacity.

American Cargo transported 276.6 tonnes of cargo from the U.K. to the United States alone, while imports into Heathrow registered 214.9 tonnes. Paul Griffin, manager of cargo operations in the U.K. and Ireland, credited American Cargo’s more than 150 team members across two facilities for the new record. Griffin added that, “with further enhancements now under way to both buildings, including enhancements to our ambient storage offerings, we are strongly positioned to handle even more growth in the future.”

The record cargo volumes included temperature-sensitive commodities, such as salmon, produce and pharmaceuticals, with additional bulk coming from “heavy metal industrial forgings.” Inbound shipments from the U.S. and other locations included produce, and oil and gas equipment destined for Aberdeen and the North Sea oil fields.

With London’s air quality falling below Beijing’s in January, concentrated at 197 micrograms per cubic meter, the additional runway has grown even more contentious. Neighbors complain about noise pollution and more jet fumes settling on the city.

Heathrow’s CEO John Holland-Kaye has pledged that the airport’s planned runway will be “carbon neutral,” but his promises have been met with skepticism, as the city’s industrial pursuits threaten to return it to its Dickensian past. In the opposition, London Mayor Sadiq Khan argued that the government should abandon the LHR expansion, adding that the airport has “failed to demonstrate how they can avoid noisier skies and even filthier air.”

Those interested in learning more about airfreight in 2017, should join us at Cargo Facts Asia in Shanghai, 25 – 26 April.  To register, or for more information, go to CargoFactsAsia.com