Air, Freight News

Act now on runways, urges Rhenus boss

[ February 11, 2016   //   Chris ]

Freight forwarder, Rhenus Logistics UK has called on the government’s cabinet committee to act now on its decision for a third runway at Heathrow. The latest postponement which has put back the final vote until summer 2016, could hinder British manufacturers looking to export to the continent, it says.

With the crisis in Calais continuing, a number of hauliers have already begun adding surcharges to road freight as fuel and time costs have soared despite the fall in oil prices. Air freight volumes are increasing dramatically at Rhenus, but capacity is also limited. If Heathrow were to open a third runway, pressure would be taken off UK roads and sea ports and would allow faster and more efficient deliveries to Europe and further afield.

Managing director at Rhenus Logistics UK,  David Williams, said: “The government has set British companies an ambitious target of exporting £1 trillion worth of exports per annum by 2020. However, in order to achieve this, the UK needs serious investment in infrastructure…However as Heathrow’s cargo capacity still lags behind Frankfurt, Schiphol and Paris, there is simply no capability to move any additional goods which will result in stagnation. The postponement has been a blow, yet we hope the final decision will be made to go ahead with the building of the third runway next summer which should allow us to steadily increase volumes in line with target.”

Tags: Rhenus