Originally Posted by
asdf1234
Guess what? Of the total freight Luton shifted last year, 80% was freight in and just 20% freight out. Stansted? 67% of the total freight was freight in.
They’re not good comparisons, though. Both those airports have substantial passenger traffic, so don’t need to maximise freight in the way Manston would need to.
Originally Posted by
asdf1234
Manston is viable as a freight hub.
History would suggest otherwise. Whatever volumes of fresh produce were being flown in, wherever Manston stood in the freight rankings, it was never enough to make the airport commercially viable. Various people have tried, without success.
Originally Posted by
asdf1234
Imported fresh produce made up the bulk of its activity, and given its faster hold-to-truck-to-road times over Heathrow, Gatwick et al, the fresh produce got into the London markets quicker despite Manston being further away by road.
The trouble is that really only works for intermittent freight deliveries. If Manston were to start dealing with the sort of volumes of freight that would make it commercially viable, that rapid turnaround time would be degraded and any time advantage compromised.