The Airport Operator | Winter 2025
15 Dec 2025
Seven new cargo airlines have begun flights from East Midlands Airport since it announced ambitious plans this summer for an estimated 54% growth in cargo operations over the next two decades.
The new carriers are Atlas Air, Central Airlines, Ethiopian Cargo, Etihad Cargo, Hong Kong Air Cargo, Saudia Cargo and SF Express. Ground handling firm, Swissport, and logistics giant, FedEx, have both moved into larger premises at the airport to meet rising demand. Cargo volumes between May and October this year reached almost 240,000 tonnes, close to 25,000 tonnes more than during the same six-month period last year.
The airport’s new Commercial Director, Adam Andrews, appointed in September, said “This isn’t just growth – it’s transformation. This incredible momentum highlights the airport’s growing global reputation and strategic importance in international logistics. Every new airline means more trade, more jobs, and more opportunity for the Midlands and beyond”.
Steve Griffiths, East Midlands Airport’s Managing Director, told The Airport Operator “We have the only Airport Master Plan in the UK that is specifically geared towards growing cargo. We needed to be big, and we needed to be bold. There is capacity to grow within the infrastructure we have at the moment, but also, we launched four development sites close to the runway which offer new opportunities for cargo operators to base themselves at East Midlands and which could support more than 21,000 jobs and boost the economy by almost £4bn”.
