Stansted Airport’s ambition to secure more scheduled freighter services is top of the agenda as its cargo development team heads to South Korea this week to hold top level talks with potential new airlines.
The team is attending the International Air Cargo Forum in Seoul to showcase the world-class facilities on offer at the UK’s third busiest airport for cargo and raise its profile to a global audience of leading airlines from around the world to discuss possible new route and service opportunities.
M.A.G’s Cargo Director, Graeme Ferguson, is fronting the delegation along with Cargo Business Development Manager, Conan Busby, during the three day conference. Mr Ferguson said:
"Stansted is one of the largest cargo hubs in Britain with more than £9.5bn worth of cargo transported every year. We believe there is a significant opportunity to grow the cargo business at Stansted and we are committing considerable time and effort engaging with cargo operators from around the globe to demonstrate the fantastic facilities and world-class infrastructure available at the airport.
“With spare capacity to support significant growth and additional economic activity, M.A.G‘s ambition is to develop Stansted into the premier scheduled freighter airport for the UK. The airport sits at the heart of the London-Stansted-Cambridge growth corridor, and with the region booming and London’s economic activity shifting towards the east, Stansted is ideally placed to support businesses trading internationally and looking to compete in the global market place.
"Our visit to South Korea is an important first step in building relationships that could lead to more direct freight services operating between major international trading cities and London Stansted.”
More than 230,000 tonnes of freight is shipped annually on more than 11,000 cargo flights to over 200 countries. The operation transports thousands of tonnes of textiles, fruit and vegetables, electronics, pharmaceuticals, mail, horses and Formula One equipment to destinations in nearly every continent. The airport’s status as a major international cargo facility is reinforced by the number of industry leaders that operate from the airport – Asiana, FedEx, Martinair, Royal Mail, Panalpina, Silkway, Atlantic Airways, Titan, TNT and UPS.
The jet set lifestyle at its very beast was on display at an invitation only event held at Stansted Airport’s Inflite Jet Centre this September.
Normally the exclusive province of company executives, film stars, footballers and the super-rich , the Centre opened its doors to members of the Stansted Airport Chamber of Commerce, who were given a personally conducted tour of the premises by CEO Penny Stephens.
“When George Clooney passed through here I pulled rank to make sure I was on duty at the time” confessed Penny, “and although the gentlemen among you will hate me for saying this, he was even better looking in real life than he is on film!”
Following rare glimpse of its superb facilities, the visitors took afternoon tea in one of the Centre’s private lounges, where they had the opportunity to network with fellow professionals.
“It was a privilege to be personally escorted by the CEO of the Centre” said Richard Taylor, Chamber member and MD of Simpsons Creative, “and to enjoy the champagne and sandwiches the company generously laid on. It certainly surpassed any networking event I’ve attended recently”.
The award winning Inflite Jet Centre has operated out of Stansted for 25 years, and is known for its unrivalled facilities, attentive passenger handling, superb cuisine and exemplary standards of service.
Our thanks to Penny for a great afternoon!
Phase one of multi million pound departure lounge officially opened at Stansted
- 250 new jobs created and better experience for passengers
Phase one of Stansted Airport’s brand new international departure lounge was officially opened today by M.A.G Chief Executive Charlie Cornish and Stansted Airport’s Managing Director Andrew Harrison at a special event to mark the launch of the World Duty Free Group’s new flagship store and entrance into the multi-million pound development.
The £80million terminal transformation project taking place at Stansted to significantly improve the services and facilities available for passengers marked its first major milestone earlier this year with the full opening of a new security search area, providing additional lanes and dedicated channels for fast track, families and passengers needing assistance.
The latest phase guides passengers on a simple journey through the largest World Duty Free store in terms of retail space and onto the many leading travel brands that have already secured prime positions including WHSmith, Boots UK, Dixons Travel, Glorious Britain, JD Sports, Rituals, Fat Face and Next. This latest phase of the development has also created an extra 250 full and part-time jobs.
Speaking at Stansted Airport, M.A.G Chief Executive Charlie Cornish said:
“When M.A.G acquired Stansted last year we set out a clear vision to return the airport to growth and improve services and facilities for our passengers.
“We are making great progress on our £260 million investment programme at Stansted and with the airport once again the fastest growing airport in London, the time to invest in change couldn’t be better.
“The multi-million pound transformation of the terminal building signifies a real turning point in the history of Stansted Airport and I’m delighted to officially mark the completion of the first phase of the new international departure lounge and hope this gives our passengers a glimpse of what the future holds.”
The next major milestone in the £80million transformation will be the opening of a brand new Escape Lounge in early 2015, located directly below the main departures area and overlooking the airfield. This will be followed in spring 2015 by the arrival of further exciting world famous food and beverage brands, including new concepts, celebrity chef treats and old fashioned favourites.
Completion of the overall project will be in the autumn of next year when a further 16 new retail units will be opened and include a wide mix of high end fashion, accessories, footwear, lingerie and gifting.
For the most up to date information on the major re-developments taking place at Stansted visit www.stanstedairport.com/transformation
Stansted Airport marked the return of Cyprus Airways scheduled flight services to and from Larnaca with a water arch salute by the Airport Fire Service when the airline touched down at Stansted yesterday (14 September 2014).
Flights will operate seven days a week with a range of fare options from "economy saver" to "business freedom" to suit all passengers and budgets, whether taking a short trip or checking bags in for a longer getaway. The Sunmiles frequent flier programme will also be popular with business and leisure travellers connecting regularly on this new service.
Larnaca International is the largest airport in Cyprus, located on the south coast just 5km south of the City known for its warm climate and palm tree seafront.
Welcoming the return of Cyprus Airways new daily scheduled service to Larnaca, Stansted Airport’s Managing Director Andrew Harrison said:
"Stansted has more scheduled connections across Europe than any other UK airport so to expand that network even further with the launch of new direct services between here and Larnaca is a very exciting development and I’d like to wish the airline every success with this new service.
Cyprus Airways Commercial Manager, Mr Christos Agapiou said:
"We are delighted to announce the commencement of our operations to/from Stansted Airport. We truly hope that our new route will strengthen even further the longstanding ties of Cyprus Airways with the British traveling public. We would like to thank all our customers for their enduring support and to promise them that we shall spend our best efforts to continuously improve our schedules and services."
Flights depart Stansted daily at 12:45 arriving into Larnaca International at 19:15; with return flights to the UK departing each day at 08:45 and landing back at 11:45.
For further information and to book your flight to Cyprus online visit www.cyprusair.com
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