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AIRPORT PICKUPS LONDON

Heathrow Records Highest Christmas Air Cargo Numbers In 25 Years
20 - Dec - 2016

Heathrow Records Highest Christmas Air Cargo Numbers in 25 Years

132, 000 tonnes of cargo is set to pass through London’s Heathrow Airport in December, the highest number since 1991.Heathrow expects a 3 per cent increase from last year’s amount, setting a new record for air cargo at the airport, in December.

Although the exact figures are yet to be revealed, fresh salmon will probably still be the biggest export, which was 2,980 tonnes last Christmas. Knitted and crocheted items, dairy products including clotted cream and books had 2,558 tonnes in total passing through Heathrow in December 2015. Whiskey exports have risen by 76% between November and December this year.

Heathrow also receives products entering the UK –cranberries from Chile making up 1,680 tonnes of the total amount of cargo arriving December last year. Lamb imports from New Zealand weighing 839 tonnes and 830 tonnes of peas from Guatemala were also flown in.

The airport will handle 1 million tonnes of cargo in 2016.

Heathrow Airport’s  head of cargo, Nick Platt, said, “We may be a long way from the North Pole, but the figures today underline Heathrow’s vital part in delivering Christmas to the UK, and the British Christmas to the world. Of course, our standing agreement with Santa Claus remains and we’ll prioritize his landing clearance come Christmas Eve.”

This comes days after three baggage handlers from Heathrow, alongside two other people, were charged with conspiring to smuggle cocaine and cannabis through the airport. The baggage handlers were arrested in an early morning raid that saw a total of 11 people arrested, after being linked to South American drug barons and British drugs “wholesalers” who supply cocaine and cannabis to UK street dealers.

By Airport Pickups London