RHA slams Heathrow Airport’s failure to tackle chronic cargo terminal delays

The RHA has demanded that Heathrow Airport update its freight movement facilities “as a matter of urgency”, following complaints of congestion and delay accessing the west London site.

Mounting congestion around the airport’s cargo centre is creating severe delays and making the cargo area inaccessible at times, with police frequently turning away vehicles from the area, according to operators.

The weakened pound has also seen cargo volumes surge at Heathrow this year, with the airport reporting a 10.5% rise year-on-year to 1.25 million tonnes in the third quarter, compounding the situation.

Duncan Buchanan, director of policy at the RHA, said: “This is no way to run an airport. It’s shameful way to treat freight customers. Heathrow Airport needs to start treating freight as a core customer.

“It’s absolutely essential they get their heads out of the sands and provide proper facilities, including sufficient land for freight movement, as a matter of urgency. If this is how they treat their customers it doesn’t augur well for a third runway at Heathrow.”

Read more

• DHL Express opens new HQ near Heathrow
• Third Heathrow runway met with cautious welcome by transport associations
• Online freight consolidation system for Heathrow to launch later this year

Heathrow Airport recently published a 10 Step Blueprint for Sustainable Freight, which includes an app for local forwarders to consolidate movements, airfield charging points and modernising cargo infrastructure.

However, Buchanan said: “It’s not good enough to kick this issue into the long grass with yet another strategy document. They need to get off their backsides and start managing freight at the airport.”

Robert Keen, the British International Freight Association’s director general said members were more frustrated than ever at the delays.

“Congestion at the horseshoe is as bad as it has ever been and the local police are now turning away vehicles, leading to a huge rise in complaints from our members,” he said.

“Our members, who currently are enduring misery on a daily basis when using the airport’s cargo centre, want action not words,” he added.

Steve Bowles, MD at airfreight carrier Roy Bowles Transport, said one of his trucks had been forced to queue on the approach to the cargo terminal for eight hours last week and a further four hours the following day.

Bowles said: “It’s a nightmare. The queues are appalling. We’re doing as much as we can by consolidating journeys but the main issue is that the cargo terminal was built 50 years ago and isn’t fit for purpose.

“It’s bad enough with Brexit – something needs to be done otherwise Heathrow is going to start losing a lot of cargo.”