The rapid growth in air freight
- Air freight is important to the UK economy in terms of the value of goods carried, rather than the weight
- Air cargo and mail tonne kilometres moved by UK airlines have increased 56 per cent between 1996 and 2006; over a million tonnes of air freight were moved in 2006 alone
- 2.32 million tonnes of freight were loaded and unloaded at UK airports in
2006. This compares to 1.77 million in 1996, an increase of 31 per cent
- The number of air transport movements (landings and take offs) at
UK airports has gone up from 1.6 billion in 1996 to 2.37 billion in
2006, an increase of 48 per cent
- Growth in air freight is constrained by the availability of capacity on
passenger fl ights. The majority of air freight and parcels (around
70 per cent) is carried in the baggage holds of passenger aircraft
rather on dedicated freight planes
- Aviation supports 675,000 jobs directly and indirectly in the UK
- Aviation generates a £14 billion value added to GDP
- Aviation delivers one third (by value) of the UK’s exports – £13 billion
- All London area airports combined take 74 per cent of the UK’s air freight. Two thirds of the volume of UK air freight is handled via Gatwick and Heathrow alone, although the London area’s share has declined from 81 per cent in 1996 as regional airports, such as Manchester and Prestwick, are gaining more
Source: DfT Transport Statistics GB 2007; AOA UK Avaiation Facts 2005, Civil Aviation Authority
