CARGO flights from Bournemouth Airport will be ramped up again after slowing down in recent weeks.

In April, Bournemouth Airport claimed it was the “fastest developing cargo airport in the UK” with 20,000 tonnes of cargo passing through by the end of March 2022, from a standing start of almost none in April 2020.

However, with NHS-related contracts coming to an end, there has been “less activity” of cargo flights from the airport.

READ MORE: Bournemouth Airport unveils new cargo handling service

Bournemouth Echo:

Steve Gill, managing director of Bournemouth Airport, said: “We’ve seen throughout the pandemic how Bournemouth Airport offers freight customers significant savings in time and costs compared to the larger hubs, which is why we set up our dedicated cargo handling business, Cargo First, earlier this year.

“With some of our NHS-related contracts for test kits and PPE coming to an end we have seen less activity in recent weeks, but this was expected and we are ramping up again from this Saturday (June 25) with the start of a three-times weekly commercial service to China, operated by European Cargo.

“This is another step towards a strategic air freight hub at Bournemouth.”

As reported, Andrew Bell, CEO of Regional and City Airports said they recognised the opportunity to stand up a new trade lane and facilitate exports from the UK to the USA.

He said: “Cargo First is well connected to London by road and we can have consignments in the market faster than through hub airports.

“Additionally, our unique one team approach means our customers don’t have to deal with multiple vendors, giving them greater simplicity, efficiency, and speed-to-market.”

It’s not the first time the airport has been used for things other than passenger flights.

READ MORE: Bournemouth Airport has 'unprecedented' amount of planes parked

At the height of the pandemic, dozens of British Airways planes parked up at the airport, turning heads of those passing.

Plane enthusiasts estimated more than a billion pounds worth aircraft were parked at Bournemouth Airport.

Bournemouth Airport originally opened as RAF Hurn in August 1941, during the Second World War, and was the base for many RAF units over the following three years.

After the end of the war, the airport was the hub for international flights into the UK until Heathrow opened in 1949 and many airlines moved their operations to the site just outside London.