Swissport has expanded services at Heathrow Airport with the opening of a new facility, which is one of a number of expansion projects across the country.
Building 588 on Sandringham Road has direct airside access with three airside doors and two truck docks on landside.
The new Heathrow facility focuses on pharmaceuticals and perishables, and comes with 15,000 square feet of warehouse space, an 8,000 square foot Border Inspection Post and 538 square feet of office space. Swissport has 305,000 square feet of warehouse space at Heathrow Airport.
Warehouse capacity across Swissport’s cargo network has grown 41% since 2023 and cargo tonnage in the UK has increased 17% year-to-date.
In 2025, expansion will continue with Swissport re-entering Gatwick Airport, and there are projects at Stansted, East Midlands and Manchester airports.
Joe Bellfield, Chief Commercial Officer UK & Ireland, said: “Our new facility at Heathrow is a cornerstone of our global air cargo expansion strategy. It not only enhances our service capabilities at a critical global hub but also demonstrates our commitment to investing in infrastructure and technology to meet the growing demands of the air cargo industry.”
The grand opening took place on 5 November with members of the media, customers and Swissport representatives in attendance.
Speaking to Ground Handling International at the opening ceremony, Bellfield explained that tier one warehouses are a luxury so when Building 588 became available, Swissport acted quickly to secure it.
The ground floor is fitted out as a temperature sensitive facility and the upper floor contains the Border Inspection Post to inspect perishables and items entering the food chain.
He said: “This facility is for speed, it has direct airside access so goods will come off the airplane to their respective handling agent’s facility then our team of airside trucks will collect direct from their handling facility and bring them here. There is no entering roadways, no queuing or truck traffic. Because it is done airside, the speed and agility is a unique selling point.”
It is the second Border Inspection Post at Heathrow and customers want their perishable goods released quickly so they can get to the market in the best possible condition.
Upstairs there are four different areas and can handle ambient, chilled and frozen temperatures, and downstairs can handle chilled and ambient temperatures.
Swissport’s other facilities at Heathrow are full, admits Bellfield, so increasing footprint in a market which is registering strong growth means more cargo can be processed.
Growth across the country
E-commerce has been a major driver of 17% year-to-date growth for Swissport in the UK, which has representation at every airport.
There has been a large increase in demand for e-commerce handling at East Midlands, Birmingham and Stansted airports so Swissport has expanded at these airports.
Bellfield said: “Our ultimate aim is to expand and we will continue to look at other opportunities to grow our footprint. By the end of Q2 2025, we will have increased our footprint in the UK and Ireland by 40%. I don’t see the current volumes of growth compress over the coming years, if anything they will keep on growing.”
To cater for growth, Swissport has expanded its footprint and control volumes.
Bellfield says Swissport has been successful in expanding its footprint at Stansted and East Midlands, and by modernising the existing facility in Birmingham.
Swissport is constructing a brand new facility at Manchester Airport, which is due to be ready at the end of Q2 next year.
When the Manchester Airport facility is opened, Swissport’s footprint will grow from 55,000 square feet to over 90,000 square feet with a more efficient layout.
It will be a general purpose facility with the ability to handle special cargo.
The outlook for the UK and Ireland will be a continuation of the current trend with Bellfield not seeing a major slowdown in the next 12 to 18 months.
Bellfield said: “It will plateau out eventually but I would not expect to see any reduction in volumes in the next 12 to 18 months.”
This article was published in the December 2024 issue of Ground Handling International, click here to read the digital edition and click here to subscribe.
