East Midlands Airport’s success as the UK’s number one express air cargo hub continues, with further growth last month in the amount of freight it handles.
September saw a 6.3% increase on the previous year, amounting to an extra 36,000 tonnes of goods. This contributed towards a total of 210,807 tonnes handled so far this year – an increase of almost 10,000 tonnes, or 5% higher than this time last year.
The latest statistics come before the airport even reaches its busiest period for cargo, in the run-up to Black Friday and Christmas as goods are ordered from all over the globe.
East Midlands’ operation, anchored by logistics giants DHL, UPS and FedEx, supports special cargo-only aircraft that connect to a network of 185 major cities around the world. This offers unrivalled next-day delivery when coupled with the airport’s strategic central location in the UK.
The strong performance builds on a year when the airport topped 400,000 tonnes for the first time since the pandemic and whose increased yields represented more than a third of all cargo growth in the UK. The airport’s cargo operation in particular has driven a £6.2bn economic boost in 2025 - equating to 52,000 jobs supported throughout the UK, 42% of them in the Midlands.
East Midlands Airport’s Commercial Director Adam Andrews said: “Achieving year-on-year growth on top of a record-breaking year for our cargo operation demonstrates how well placed we are to serve the UK’s air cargo needs.
“The way our twin operations for passengers and freight operate in parallel, not in conflict with each other, puts us in a unique position to continue to grow our cargo capabilities. It’s great to see these figures growing ahead of what is traditionally our busiest period.”
