Heathrow CEO makes case for airport expansion

In an address to the Airport Operators Association last week, London-Heathrow Airport CEO, John Holland-Kaye said that, because the airport is the U.K.’s “biggest port,” handling more than a quarter of all British exports, the planned expansion of Heathrow will be critical to the country’s economic future.

“Anything high value, fragile, with a short shelf life or requiring just-in-time delivery goes in the bellyhold of passenger aircraft leaving Heathrow,” he said, adding  that exports are not just about big business. Small- to medium-sized enterprises start out by shipping a box on a plane – not a full container on a ship.

Holland-Kaye admitted that even he and his team didn’t understand the significance of cargo to the carriers or the British economy until they started working with the Airports Commission on the expansion process. He added that, since then, he has hired a freight veteran, Nick Platts, as head of cargo back in May,  and outlined a cargo blueprint, with the goal of moving British exports through more quickly and predictably, and reducing throughput to four hours. Not only that, he wants Heathrow to be 100 percent digital.

“With expansion, we will double our cargo capacity, providing the infrastructure needed to meet the government’s goal of becoming Europe’s second largest exporting nation,” Holland-Kaye said. “If the government is serious about keeping Britain as a leading trading nation, they will back Heathrow expansion.”