Already running $1.5bn in trade with China, East Midlands Airport has now reached agreement with two Chinese cargo giants.
CGTN's Ray Addison reports. #trade #uk #China #travel
CGTN's Ray Addison reports. #trade #uk #China #travel
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00:00Nighttime at East Midlands Airport, and whilst runways at larger hubs such as Heathrow face
00:06flight restrictions, here operations continue 24-7.
00:10This enables EMA to play a crucial role in facilitating trade between China and the UK.
00:17Last year they handled close to $1.6 billion worth of imports and exports.
00:22East Midlands Airport is one of the most centrally located airports in the UK, so if you fly
00:29goods into East Midlands Airport for the UK market, they can be distributed around the
00:34UK to customers very easily and very quickly.
00:37And business with China is growing.
00:40A new deal will see China's Central Airlines and Yun Express launch their first ever flights
00:45to the UK in the coming days, starting twice weekly and building up to five scheduled arrivals.
00:52They've also agreed to redevelop existing cargo facilities on site.
00:57It follows the example of Britain's One Air, which switched its operations from Heathrow
01:02just over a year ago.
01:03In a few months we've got our first 777 freighter coming in, and that's a dedicated freighter
01:08that's actually built for cargo operations.
01:11We're looking at growing the business and bringing on scheduled services out to China,
01:16probably via Hong Kong and Muscat and the likes.
01:19But airport bosses believe British firms are missing a great opportunity.
01:24So, six times a week, these One Air flights, that's a British firm carrying Chinese goods,
01:30arrives here at the airport.
01:32Thousands of tonnes of cargo.
01:33We're talking packages, deliveries all across the United Kingdom, but all too often those flights
01:40return to China completely empty.
01:43And that's what East Midlands Airport is trying to fix.
01:46The airport is developing a new tech zone, designed to appeal to UK businesses keen to
01:52boost or establish trade with China.
01:55Several parcels of land close to the airport are ripe for development, including Ratcliffe-on-Saw,
02:01where the UK's last coal-fired power station, which closed last year, is being demolished.
02:07The research we've done suggests that over the next 15, 20 years we can see another 50%
02:11increase in the volume of goods coming through here.
02:14Advanced logistics and advanced manufacturing will hopefully attract the types of customers
02:18who need to get their goods very quickly all around the world.
02:23If successful, East Midlands Airport could not only redraw the map when it comes to the
02:28location of firms engaged in UK-China trade, but also create thousands of new job opportunities
02:34in the region. Ray Addison, CGTN, in the East Midlands.