The Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal (South Point)
The opening of the Cathay Pacific Freight Terminal, Bedfont Road, Stanwell in September 2001 was a significant step in the Plane Handling business strategy to provide dedicated bespoke warehousing facilities to customers both on and off-airport.
This 60,000 sq ft purpose-built facility includes 55,000sq ft of warehouse space and is capable of handling in excess of 60,000 tonnes per annum. BAA Lynton on behalf of Plane Handling Ltd commissioned the purpose-built single user terminal, which took almost a year to build and fit out.
The project began in the autumn of 2000, under the supervision of Tom Knight (General Manager-Plane Handling Ltd) and Bob Stanborough (Projects Manager-Plane Handling Ltd) and during the twelve months that followed saw the installation of 5,000sq ft of offices and a warehouse cargo handling system able to efficiently and safely manage passenger belly-hold cargo as well as the main-deck pallets required for the airline's freighters.
In May 2001, Andrew Roe, Cathay Pacific's UK and Ireland Cargo Manager was delighted to announce their move "to a facility (South Point) which will make us as close to self handling as we can ever get." He added "The flexibility the single user terminal at South Point will afford to us as both a freighter and passenger aircraft operator is second to none". The 40,000 tonnes of cargo, which the airline generates each year, made this one of the biggest non-self handling contracts ever to move at Heathrow.
Since the opening of The Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal (South Point) on 1st September 2001, Cathay Pacific has seen services increase with the addition of a same-day arrival service from Hong Kong to London in July 2002. This and the partnership with Plane Handling has seen the cargo volumes grow and affords the airline the expansion capability they require to meet demand from the emergent Chinese market, together with the opportunity to offer greater efficiency and service to their customers.
This arrangement is further enhanced by Plane Handling Ltd also handling all the airline's passenger ramp flights at Heathrow, together with the transport of the cargo between the warehouse and aircraft side. With this seamless "one-stop-shop" service comes the ability to respond immediately to both changes and demands of customers (both passenger and cargo), giving the airline greater overall competitive advantage.
After a year of operations at The Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal, the airline remains confident both in their decision to move to the new facility and in their choice of Plane Handling Ltd as business partner. Commented Andrew Roe, UK and Ireland Cargo Manager for Cathay Pacific "Our dedicated off-airport facility has enabled us to make many improvements in our cargo handling process. Plane Handling have played a vital part in ensuring its success, and their skill and professionalism has been noted by our team as well as being positively received by our customers".
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