Steven Verhasselt spent 20 years turning Liege Airport from a small regional airport into a cargo juggernaut, handling two-thirds of all European Air Freight. He will be helping to steer Teesside’s cargo operation in a huge coup for one of the country’s newest Border Control Points (BCPs).
Steven said: “It took a while, but it came good after we’d put the work in. “We got perishables through Ethiopia, E-Commerce, and worked through Hong Kong and China. We offered a unique selling proposal by using our ingenuity around existing legislation. Running cargo is much more than just running airside operations. It’s about customs, licence checks, border control, taking cargo to its final destination. That’s what makes it interesting.”
Teesside’s £2.5million state-of-the-art cargo facility has gone from strength to strength since it opened for business, and its status as one of the country’s newest BCPs means it can handle flowers, fruit and vegetables. Linked by the A1(M) and A66 nearby, and the East Coast Mainline, in Darlington, the Airport’s freight facility is ideally placed in the heart of Britain to make the most of road and rail links. It can serve some 95% of the country’s businesses in just six hours. Teesside also offers benefits as a customs zone as part of the Teesside Freeport.
When it came to the wider opportunities in airfreight, Steven explained there were plenty to be had. He added: “The potential for cargo is as it’s always been. Resources tend to go to passenger services – that’s seen as more important to an airport’s stakeholders. In certain airports, cargo is pushed on site. But when you see what is happening in UK, you see very few flights for cargo in London airports. For cargo, if organised, Teesside is definitely a competitor. You can compete on speed and compete on reliability – that’s the benefit of a regional airport. Speed is important but in certain areas, such as automotive freight, reliability is key."
“The market offer in Northern England is under-developed and there may well be an opportunity there. You’ve also got Brexit which hasn’t quite been digested – companies are still working it out and there are logistic challenges so there are opportunities there. I see the potential to develop some very sustainable long-term successes – be it Africa with perishables, business in the US, and maybe Asia with stopovers.”
Steven will be supported by doyen of cargo and colleague at FB Cargo Strategy, Koen Servaes, who has 38 years of aviation experience under his belt.
Phil Forster, Managing Director of Teesside Airport said, “Having Steven and Koen boosting our team is a huge coup for us. Both are giants in the cargo industry – and what they’ve done throughout their careers is testament to the hard work, contacts and talent they have. To have access to their vast knowledge and expertise is invaluable and we’re delighted they’ve seen our potential and come on board. Our cargo operation means we’re perfectly placed for distribution, our Business Park is growing, and we’ve put the building blocks in place to welcome more firms to our site to reap the benefits of our customs zone.
