UK’s Teesside Airport facility attracts new markets

England’s Teesside International Airport (MME) opened a 21,000-square-foot cargo handling facility in late August, attracting interest from African, trans-Atlantic and Asian markets. The 2.5 million pound (US $2.9 million) investment offers security screening technology, handling, freight forwarding, customs clearance and storage services, according to a release from MME. The facility can also be utilized for specialized charter services. MME secured its Regulated Agent status from the Civil Aviation Authority to handle cargo at the new site. The new cargo center is a “single handler facility, but uniquely, we are the handler. Self-handling our cargo operation allows us to control our service level,” Hayley Shields, business development manager, told Air Cargo World . “We have just opened our cargo center and hope to attract international traffic but have interest from the African, trans-Atlantic and Asia markets.” [caption id="attachment_57132380" align="alignright" width="435"] Photo/Teesside International Airport[/caption] Now that the cargo handling facility is live, MME is actively pursuing both cargo specific and passenger carriers, Shields said. MME “has undergone significant investment in the recent years in our passenger facilities,” Shields said. “We have now turned the dial toward our 819-acre estate, including the introduction of our cargo operation.” This includes a $200 million Southside Business Park development to diversify revenue streams. MME taps into UK cargo opportunities MME is one of the many smaller, regional airports tapping into the U.K. Cargo market as major airports like London Heathrow (LHR) face congestion . “The northeast of the U.K., where MME is situated, is a net-exporting region with leading sectors in energy and renewables, advanced manufacturing and pharmaceuticals,” Shields said. “As a quieter regional airport, we offer greater flexibility to our partners which we’re finding is in greater demand as airlines face logistics challenges at larger, congested ports.” The airport is also located within an operational freeport with customs benefits, including duty deferment for importers, she added. Forwarders opt for smaller, regional airports Indeed, capacity remains a challenge for many airfreight stakeholders, Brandon Fried, executive director of the U.S. Airforwarders Association , told Air Cargo World. “A lot of forwarders have decided that it’s more stable to charter their lift and also overfly the congested airports such as LA (LAX), maybe Seattle (SEA), Chicago (ORD), Boston (BOS), JFK, and fly into airports like Rockford (RFD), Rickenbacker (LCK) or San Bernardino (SBD) — places that, in the past, were not traditional gateway airports.” Other regional airports tapping into U.K. cargo potential include Newcastle International Airport (NCL) and Bournemouth Airport (BOH) , both are which are investing in cargo infrastructure at the airport. In August, the U.K. government also granted approval for Manston Airport (MSE) to develop as a cargo hub to provide relief from LHR backlog. Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) also recently secured three-year cargo-handling contracts in the U.K. with All Nippon Airways and Tunisian carrier Nouvelair . Join Air Cargo World for our next webinar, "Dangerous goods in focus: Shoring up air cargo logistics," on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 11 a.m. ET. Click here for more information and to register .

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