As an island nation in our modern globalised world, it’s essential that we can trade effectively on the international stage. Having an airport gives us a significant competitive edge and makes the East Midlands a region that is in a strong position to support and grow existing businesses as well as attracting new ones.

East Midlands Airport is an asset not only to the region, but to the whole country. Within the UK, its cargo operation is the largest of its kind, providing trade routes to the world’s economic powerhouses. It provides the main UK base for major logistics firms trading around the globe and has recently had great success in attracting new cargo airlines as its reputation as the UK’s number one freight-only airport spreads worldwide.

This matters to our region, because many of our thriving industrial sectors rely on international trade, from the automotive and aerospace industries to advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and life sciences. The firms that are importing and exporting goods in turn rely on a supply chain, and together it’s estimated the airport supported a remarkable 52,000 jobs last year.

Indeed, the airport's success is not happening in isolation. It sits at the heart of a wider opportunity in my Vision for Growth for the East Midlands – the Trent Arc. This urban regeneration corridor linking Derby and Nottingham brings together our greatest concentration of economic assets, regeneration opportunities, and investment potential.

The Trent Arc covers two city centres, three universities, three train stations, the East Midlands Freeport and Infinity Park Investment Zone site, green and blue spaces, alongside emerging proposals for a new town. Collectively, the pipeline of projects in the Arc has the potential to deliver 30,000 homes, 40,000 high-quality jobs, and £2.4 billion in GVA.

Through the Trent Arc, East Midlands Airport has a golden opportunity to help us deliver a nationally significant growth corridor that provides jobs, homes, innovation, and sustainable prosperity for generations to come.

I’m delighted to see that it is building on its success. Last year, our regional airport’s cargo growth was a third of all air cargo growth in the whole of the UK – a typically East Midlands feat of punching above our weight. And it’s not stopping there, with plans to develop sites – some of them Freeport tax sites – on and near the airfield for the extra cargo-related activity that’s anticipated in the coming years.

As Mayor of the East Midlands, I fully support the airport’s bold vision and will work closely with the airport and partners to ensure it continues to bring lasting benefits to our region. This is our moment to lead – connecting East Midlands businesses to the world, creating opportunities for local people, and building a stronger, more inclusive economy for generations to come.

Steve Griffiths, East Midlands Airport Managing Director

Would you be surprised to hear that East Midlands Airport’s total impact to the UK economy was £6.2bn last year?

The huge contribution the airport makes to the economy is something I am incredibly proud of, because it means we’re a vital part of the region we serve – a catalyst for local jobs and the growth of local industries, as well as being the gateway to four million people’s holidays every year and the UK’s largest pure freight operation.

If you think that £6.2bn is impressive, that's a figure that’s grown by £2bn in the space of 12 months, as our role powering trade for the region and UK as a whole has got even bigger.

Click here to wach our video 'East Midlands economic impact unpacked'

That's because the largest contributor to our economic impact is the cargo we handle every night. Freight-related productivity makes up around half of the airport’s total economic impact, alongside operational activity including passenger and cargo operations and supply chain expenditure. Major freight operators based here like DHL, UPS and FedEx, along with other cargo activity, accounted for around half of all of the airport’s economic impact. This has been driven by a 12.5% increase in cargo volumes – topping 400,000 tonnes for the first time since the pandemic when international air cargo was at an all-time high.

That sharp rise – accounting for a third of all UK air cargo growth last year - is partly down to us attracting seven new airlines to start operations last year, including Etihad Cargo and China’s largest cargo airline SF Express, both of which have chosen East Midlands as their only UK gateway.

A measure of our importance for high-value, time-sensitive and supply-chain-critical goods is that an average tonne of freight at East Midlands is 34 times the value of that handled at other UK ports – with export goods totalling £13bn last year.

That's because we support the success of key industries like advanced manufacturing, one of the key industries in our region. They rely on the airport to import specialist parts to turn them into high value products that are then sent around the world. Nurturing sectors like this is vital to the UK's economic success, with advanced manufacturing recognised in the Government's industrial strategy as a key sector to support high value jobs. This provides opportunities for people to reach their full potential and enables businesses from all over the country to trade on the global stage.

Businesses like Leicester-based Ventola Projects, which relies on the airport to supply its specialist lighting systems around the globe – helping it to grow from a sole trader in 1989 to a multi-million-pound business. Or Nottingham-based Attenborough Medical, whose time-critical medical implants travel between its bases in the UK and Belgium via the airport.

Our cargo operation is a major part of the jobs the airport supports around the UK - which now stands at 52,000, with 7,500 of them on site.

Our region particularly benefits from our freight expertise, helping it to become a magnet for firms operating in sectors like aerospace, the automotive sector, pharmaceuticals and life sciences. That saw us support 15,430 in the East Midlands and 6,520 in the West Midlands last year, which benefited from an economic boost of £1.5bn and £569m respectively through our operational activity.

Of course, our passenger operation continues to be a crucial and successful part of our operation, also contributing £100m to the economy through extra business productivity and inbound tourism. We remain the first choice for millions of people a year, who prefer an effortless start to their holidays and have benefited from substantial terminal improvements. We know we’re doing something right, as 97% of our customers rate the airport good to excellent.

And we are building on our success with ongoing talks with airlines to expand our passenger network, alongside the continuing development of plans to grow our cargo operation to maximise its potential.

We will continue to ensure that as a linchpin in the UK’s international trade network, the people and businesses in the areas around us benefit from our presence.

We are a comparatively small airport but we have a big heart – with our warm welcome and effortless experience bringing people back time and again. In 2025, four million people chose us as the gateway to their holidays across Europe and north Africa, similar to the year before. This Easter more than 170,000 people flew through East Midlands Airport, an 8% increase on last Easter and an encouraging indication of a strong summer ahead.

And we overwhelmingly keep our customers satisfied, with scores of 60.4 from our satisfaction survey, around double our target and 22.6% up since I took up post as Managing Director four years ago. In fact an amazing 97% of customers rated their experience good, very good or excellent last year and 71% say they would recommend us to friends and family.

But we still always strive to improve. As well as actively exploring destination expansion opportunities, we have carried out a huge number of targeted improvements to enhance the customer experience, reaching halfway through our five-year £120m investment programme. Everywhere you look, things have changed and improved over the last 12 months ready for this year’s summer season.

Outside the terminal we have introduced a new barrierless, cashless payment system for more efficient Rapid Drop Off arrangements, along with refreshed signage and resurfacing of the Short Stay 1 car park. Meet & Greet customers now benefit from automated self-serve options and a clearer colour-coded layout for vehicle collection.

Once in the terminal, customers are greeted with a new-look security hall complete with next-generation scanners, making the process more pleasant and smooth – with 99.8% of customers already clearing security in under 15 minutes. All new for 2026, in the departure lounge we have a new Italian restaurant Terracotta, WHSmith one-stop shop, Little Flyers interactive play zone, a new Quiet Room and a first ever Sensory Pod.

Beyond this there’s our extended, refurbished Escape Lounge, extra seating, better wi-fi, new water refill stations, electronic customer service kiosks, a new airside multi faith room and refurbished toilet facilities throughout the terminal, plus other new retail outlets and eateries completed earlier. And on return from their holidays, customers have an improved welcome in our refreshed immigration hall.

As well as a big heart we have big ambitions, building on our position as the UK’s number one express air cargo hub. Across the 2025/26 financial year, we topped 400,000 tonnes of cargo for the first time since the pandemic, during which we played a vital role in keeping international trade moving. The 413,664 tonnes carried last year was 46,037 tonnes more than the previous year, a 12.5% increase.

That increase represents more than a third (37%) of all air freight growth in the UK, which for an airport our size is nothing short of astounding. It underlines our strength in specialising in dedicated freighter aircraft, when most airports carry cargo on passenger planes.

Our 24/7 operation which isn’t at the mercy of passenger flight schedules, along with our strategic central location giving access to 85% of the UK population within four hours, has helped to see seven new airlines starting to use East Midlands as their gateway to the UK market last year.

Looking ahead, we have earmarked four plots on our airfield totalling 50 hectares for new cargo developments, which could help meet an estimated 54% growth in demand within the next two decades. This could boost regional GVA by £1.8bn and support up to 21,000 new jobs. We have carried out works to unlock more capacity for cargo operations and are seeing investments by third parties in facilities in and around the airport. Proposals we have put forward with our development partner Prologis for advanced manufacturing and logistics facilities on our Freeport land south of the airport are awaiting planning consideration.

All of which means that while we already play a significant role in the regional and wider UK economy, we have even more to give in the future. Exciting times ahead!

We have certainly enjoyed marking the occasion in a number of ways – from various events bringing civic leaders, business leaders and local communities together, along with a Red Arrow flypast, photo exhibition, upgrades to the Airport Trail, plaque unveiling and children’s art competition among many others.

It has been an opportunity to reflect on what makes the airport such a special place – and of course, it’s the people. Those who work here now and those who were here for the previous six decades have all brought passion and a drive to improve the airport.

And that drive to improve has really been a hallmark of our anniversary year at the airport. We have undertaken some really significant improvements for our customers as part of our ongoing £120m investment programme, not least an expanded and transformed security hall which provides a much brighter and more welcoming environment for checks to be carried out. Next generation scanning equipment has been installed which helps speed up the process by up to 125 people per hour. Carrying out these improvements and training security officers on the new scanners – in a newly constructed training academy - while keeping the airport running without impacting our customers is a testament to the fantastic team at East Midlands.

And that’s by no means the only change we’ve overseen. We introduced new barrierless, cashless arrangements in the rapid drop off area to improve traffic flow, opened new and refurbished restaurants, stores and an expanded and refurbished Escape Lounge, upgraded toilet facilities throughout the terminal, opened a new airside multi faith room, revamped our Meet & Greet office and Lost Property hub…the list is almost endless. Beyond this, our popular Assisted Travel service supported 100,000 customers in one year for the first time – and won a national award. All these things have undoubtedly helped towards customer satisfaction reaching an all-time high, with 71% saying they would recommend East Midlands Airport to others - an amazing achievement.

One major event for us was launching our cargo growth strategy, which earmarks four sites near the runway that together are the size of 80 football pitches, for development into new cargo facilities. This would help us facilitate the estimated 54% growth in cargo volumes we will handle in the coming two decades. Since announcing our plans, we have welcomed an incredible seven new cargo airlines to the airport.

This immediate jump in cargo activity has played a part in East Midlands becoming the UK’s fastest growing air freight hub, seeing a 12% year-on-year increase in cargo tonnage. The total cargo handled so far this year is 275,883 which is almost 30,000 tonnes more than last year. Just last month we handled 36,595 tonnes of cargo – 16.6% or 5,204 more than last year. We have supported this immediate growth by reconfiguring our cargo aprons to increase the number of stands for wide-bodied aircraft.

Our cargo growth is also having a positive knock-on effect on businesses that support or rely on this part of our operation. For example, both FedEx and ground handling firm Swissport have moved into larger on-site facilities to increase their capacity – with another new warehouse scheduled to open on site soon. A new facility for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of cargo crates has opened at a nearby business park, prompted by the rising cargo volumes and sustained e-commerce expansion at the airport, according to the facility’s operators Unilode.

This winter will see further improvements out on the airfield, reconstructing one of the main taxiways, improving lighting and reconfiguring the main passenger apron to increase the number of aircraft that can park there. This ties in with efforts that are actively underway to expand our passenger route network, including a link to a European hub airport.

As if all this wasn’t enough, away from the day-to-day running of the airport, our brilliant staff have taken part in thousands of hours of volunteer work in our neighbouring communities and we’ve continued our year-round engagement with local people to listen to their concerns, support community groups and projects and showcase all that’s great about the airport including the employment opportunities here.

As the year draws to a close, we still have our eyes on the horizon, looking for opportunities to improve the airport for decades to come.

How does EMA prepare for winter weather?

At EMA we have the equivalent of 100 football pitches of tarmac on the airfield including the runway, taxiway and stands where planes park. It’s a huge operation to keep this free from snow and ice, which is why we start planning as far in advance as August.

That’s when we begin to run through our Winter Operations Plan, testing it with more than 80 staff from Airfield Operations, Firefighting and Air Traffic Control who are at the frontline of responding, as well as with many more members of staff across 14 teams, plus airlines and external contractors, who provide vital support when snow and ice affect operations.

We ensure our fleet of snow ploughs and other equipment are ready to go, and that we have enough anti-icing fluid stored and ready to use.

At an airport, it's doubly important that we're vigilant, quick to react to changes and proactive with all precautions.

Why do snow and ice cause problems at the airport? 

When snow covers the markings and lights on the runway, it is deemed that operational safety is compromised. Our teams carry out inspections every day and their vehicles carry advanced technology that helps them fully assess the conditions.

We also have to consider other parts of the airport such as car parks, bus station, roads and pavements, to ensure that people working at the airport, as well as our customers, remain safe. This is our number one priority.

How does EMA monitor the weather?

Our teams are constantly checking a number of different monitoring systems to build up an accurate picture so we can be ready to take appropriate action.

We use sophisticated weather forecasting systems to make sure we can prepare for whatever the climate throws at us - this includes being aware of the exact air pressure around the airport, the precise level of clouds and more.

In the winter this helps us not only to have a good idea of when snow is likely to fall - but also to know what the temperature of the tarmac on the airfield is going to be. The temperature of the ground on a cold night is actually cooler than that of the air - so even if the air temperature is above zero, the temperature of the tarmac of the airfield can be below zero meaning moisture can quickly turn to ice.  

How do you treat the airport - and airfield particularly - to minimise the effects of snow and ice?   

During winter months, teams are on standby to be quickly deployed whenever needed to make sure things stay running smoothly. The road network, footpaths and car parks around the airport are treated with grit and salt in the same way as other busy roads and pavements to make sure they're safe for users.   

On the airfield it's a slightly different picture. Grit isn't suitable on airfields as it can damage aircraft and is corrosive. We have 100,000 litres of anti-icing fluid stored and ready to treat the runway to help prevent it from freezing. The surface is also slightly grooved to provide better traction for aircraft when it is wet or icy.   

We will proactively deploy the anti-icing treatment to prevent some snow from building up, but that can still happen in heavy snow. That's when we rely on our fleet of snow clearing vehicles and workers trained to clear snow. We train staff to work with this equipment in inclement weather. They clear snow and ice as quickly and safely as possible to get flights and our customers moving again.

Our fleet of snow clearing vehicles includes tractors that can be equipped with a range of attachments including ploughs and brushes, and combined jet blowers that are fitted with ploughs, blowers and brushes. 

Why does EMA have to stop operations when it snows?   

If we experience what we call ‘white top’ – when the runway’s centre lines and lights can no longer be seen - we close the airfield due to safety concerns. Doing this allows us to mobilise our full fleet of snow ploughs and clear the runways more quickly.

How do airports in snowy countries operate? Why are they able to operate in much worse conditions than in this country?   

There are lots of reasons - but a key one is that at temperatures around freezing point snow tends to be wetter because not all of it is frozen. This means it turns to slush and ice which is both more slippery and harder to clear. When the temperature is lower than -2c the snow is drier and more powdery and easier to clear or blow away.

What can I do as a customer?

We have our plans in place and our teams will work hard to take appropriate action swiftly and safely to get things running again. But our customers can also play a part – by taking extra care when travelling to and around the airport, checking the status of flights with their airlines and keeping an eye on social media for updates.

It’s a year in which EMA has seen its first proper summer season since Covid, with 2.7m passengers travelling through the airport so far this year – a 21% increase on last year. And I’m looking ahead to an equally buoyant autumn and winter period, with a further 1.5m passengers expected to be welcomed at EMA this year.

It’s great to see passenger confidence return and to see them choose EMA in such large numbers. It reflects the fact we offer people an effortless travel experience - one that we know people are prepared to travel from across the Midlands and beyond for.

That’s because we have a great reputation as a convenient, easy-to-use airport, which is obviously something we are keen to hold onto and enhance. We’re an airport that’s small enough to care, with our great staff providing a warm welcome and a hassle-free start to people’s holidays.

Most EMA customers are seamlessly through security within 15 minutes, enabling them to relax and start to enjoy their holidays. There’s a great range of food, drink and retail outlets to keep everyone happy before they’re ready to catch their flight, and 60 popular European destinations to choose from.

I joined Manchester Airport Group – EMA’s owner – as Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and was Managing Director at London Stansted Airport prior to his move to EMA. I have previously worked as Chief Operating Officer for Virgin Atlantic as well as for London Underground.

During my first year in post, EMA has continued its post-pandemic recovery, with passenger numbers at 80% of pre-pandemic levels and peak summer months reaching over 90%. Meanwhile the airlines that base aircraft at EMA – Ryanair, JET2.com and TUI - have increased their fleet sizes, with Ryanair now operating eight aircraft and JET2.com seven. In the peak summer months TUI were operating five aircraft compared with three last year and coupled with this investment, brought back three additional routes this summer to Antalya (Turkey), Hurghada (Egypt) and Gran Canaria. Eastern Airways, which operates the Newquay routes, added daily flights to Paris Orly and Aer Lingus Regional took on the popular Belfast route.

Investing in the airport

But I’m not resting on my laurels because while we have high levels of customer satisfaction, we want to further improve their experience, and investment over the next five years will do that. More than £120m is committed which will result in improvements to passenger facilities to further enhance the customer experience including even faster security, as well as changes to car parking systems and a programme of work to maintain and enhance airfield operations. Longer-term, further investment will be committed towards realising a masterplan for enhancing and adding to the facilities for cargo operators, building on EMA’s status as one of the UK’s most important hubs for express air freight.   

The first bit of work is due to get underway later this year, which sees the expansion of our security hall in preparation for new scanning equipment to be installed. This work will not only enhance the look and feel of the security hall, but will speed up the process even more.

I’m keen for EMA to appeal to a wider catchment area, with its central location right next to the motorway network a key selling point and 30 million people within two hours’ drive. I also want to build on its growing reputation for accessibility, with its popular Assisted Travel service among the reasons EMA is shortlisted for this year’s Accessible Airport Award and won the Business Disability Forum ‘Disability Smart Inclusive Customer Service’ award this year.

Decarbonising airport operations

EMA is also at the forefront of looking at ways to decarbonise aviation. It is part of East Midlands Hydrogen, a partnership looking to maximise on the potential of hydrogen which is due to be produced at the Ratcliffe power station site. EMA could be one of the largest users of hydrogen in the region, with an estimated demand for around 700,000 litres of liquid hydrogen a day by 2050 – the year the global aviation industry has set to reach net zero. We’re also in talks about the increased use of other Sustainable Aviation Fuels.

We’re serious about doing what we can to decarbonise our airport and the wider aviation industry. We’re committed to our target of net zero carbon operations by 2038. We also continue to do all we can to be a good neighbour to our surrounding communities, including reducing the impact of noise on them.

Seamless international trade from EMA and growth with EM Freeport

The airport’s positive impact on the wider region and its economy is significant and perhaps surprising for those who only see it as gateway to European holiday destinations. That’s because EMA is also the UK’s largest dedicated air cargo hub, providing connections to 185 of the world’s largest cities and handling around 440,000 tonnes a year.

The airport’s position in central England, a stone’s throw from the motorway network and just over 100 miles from central London, means that it’s perfectly placed to serve the whole of the UK, with 90% of the population of England and Wales a four-hour lorry drive away. It’s one of the reasons why each of the three logistics giants, DHL, UPS and FedEx, have chosen EMA as their main UK hub, forming part of their US-UK-Europe network.

The cargo operation at EMA is a hugely exciting side of the business, delivering seamless trade that powers the UK. We’re an asset of national significance and play a pivotal role in driving the economy. The significant cluster of businesses in the advanced manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and automotive sectors in the region rely on us to move predominantly high-value goods quickly and efficiently around the world. When the cargo operation kicks into gear as the last passenger flight of the evening leaves, it really is a sight to behold.

EMA’s importance as a cargo hub has attracted investment in and around the site, such as the huge logistics park at East Midlands Gateway. The new East Midlands Freeport, with EMA acting as the port, promises to increase this growth by offering tax and customs incentives for new developments on and around the airport.

We will use our central England location and the benefits of the Freeport to help us position EMA as the UK’s best placed airport for facilitating air cargo, to attract new cargo airlines which we have capacity to accommodate. As the port of East Midlands Freeport, a popular gateway to Europe for a growing number of people, an early adopter of green innovation in the aviation industry and a site at the heart of the country with further untapped potential, I believe there is a bright future for us.

I was appointed Managing Director of East Midlands Airport (EMA) back in July 2020. I confess to being both excited and a little apprehensive given the importance of the role. Taking over as a new MD is challenging at the best of times, but doing so in the throes of a global pandemic which more or less grounded our industry overnight, took it to a whole new level!

Fifteen months into the job and I still haven’t seen a really busy day for passenger travel. However, as we approach October half-term, at last things are beginning to look a little brighter.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that the pandemic has been the most difficult period in the history of aviation. The sector was one of the first to be shut down, and the last to re-open. During significant periods of the last year-and-a-half, the doors to our passenger terminal were locked as bans on non-essential international travel took effect. It’s only when air travel is not possible that it becomes apparent how much we have taken it for granted.

Since day one in the job, my focus has been on protecting the business, to ensure that this region continues to be served by an airport from which so many people benefit. In doing so, painful decisions have had to be made and it’s been sad to lose some fantastic colleagues - either through redundancy or people leaving of their own accord because, for them, the future of aviation looked so uncertain.

Throughout this period, my heart would sink when I’d take a stroll around the empty terminal, seeing the shutters over shop windows, restaurants closed that should have been buzzing with excited families starting their holiday adventures, and aircraft standing idly on the tarmac with no crew or passengers on board. In the depths of winter earlier this year when we were back in lockdown, as I did my nightly run around the airport and its empty car parks, I did wonder myself whether life would ever return to normal.

However, I had to remain optimistic. I was always confident that, when the worst of the pandemic was over, and it was safe to do so, people would start travelling again. And it’s clear that there is the demand for it. Sadly, the recovery has been slower than we had hoped. A lack of consumer confidence, uncertainty about the traffic light system, and the costs and hassle of tests have meant many people were put off an overseas holiday this year. Our passenger numbers this summer have been a third of what they were pre-pandemic. It’s been a similar story across of the whole of UK aviation – a situation made more frustrating by the fact that, throughout much of Europe, the recovery has been twice as fast compared with here.

Now that the Government has reformed its traffic light system, and announced a date for removing the day two PCR test for those returning to the UK, it is time to look to the future.

As schools in this region break up for half-term, and restrictions are eased, increasing numbers of people are taking to the skies in what may be their last opportunity to do so this year. It’s encouraging to see a spike in bookings over the coming days and passenger figures suggest we are starting to see up to 50% of pre-pandemic passenger volumes for the October half-term, which is a step in the right direction. It’s also really pleasing to welcome colleagues back into work – particularly those who have been furloughed for long periods of time.

It is estimated that passenger numbers may not return to what they were pre-Covid until 2026 for EMA, so we have a long way to go. Our recovery will be gradual, and I still have a delicate balancing act to maintain in keeping costs down while making the case for investment to ensure that EMA remains the airport of choice for so many customers.

If things continue as they are I’m hopeful that, come the dark long days of January when the Christmas and New Year festivities are over, people’s attention will turn to sun, sea and sangria and booking overseas summer breaks.

Demand for air cargo soars

There are, of course, two sides to the EMA operation. The knock-on effect of people saving money from not going on holiday, and spending more time at home, has resulted in a massive surge in internet shopping. If something is ordered online and it is not stocked in the UK, there’s a strong chance it will be flown into the UK through our airport. This, combined with fewer long-haul passenger flights, particularly transatlantic, which would have carried goods as well as suitcases, has meant that the express air freight operators based at EMA have been busier than ever. In the coming winter months in the run up to Black Friday and Christmas, the likes of DHL, UPS, FedEx and Royal Mail will work flat out to ensure your presents, household gifts and clothes reach you in time.

The EMA cargo operation has also thrown a lifeline to regional businesses that rely on imports and exports. In the early days of the pandemic, much critical PPE and hospital equipment, some of which was manufactured in this region, was flown around the world to hospitals that needed it most urgently. We are already seeing a 10% increase in the volume of goods compared with 2020, so records are likely to be broken again this winter.

As the pandemic eases, I can look a bit further ahead and begin thinking more strategically about how this airport continues to provide an invaluable service to all customers. There are big opportunities around the corner. Assuming success of the East Midlands Freeport bid, EMA will be the ‘port’ to the UK’s only inland Freeport. We can also start to give more thought to our role within the region and how we can best support the work that is happening to shape a new identity for the East Midlands. I’m also considering what sustainable aviation will look like and what measures we need to take now to ensure we hit our goal of zero carbon emissions by 2038. Changes to technology and people’s expectations will drive significant development within aviation and we need to be ready.

The future is not without its challenges, but aviation is resilient and enduring, our people are passionate and motivated. There is much to look forward to and I relish tackling the opportunities ahead!

The air traffic control tower at East Midlands Airport (EMA) affords one of the best views of the region. On a clear day it is possible to see as far north as Crich, the Victoria Centre flats in Nottingham, Derby’s wind turbines, Charnwood, parts of Staffordshire and the Vale of Belvoir to the east.

Also visible to the naked eye is some of the key infrastructure around which our regional economy is built. The manufacturing powerhouse that is Rolls Royce in Derby, the tower block at Loughborough University which reminds us of the research expertise we have on our doorstep and, a bit closer, the iconic cooling towers of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station – a site which is ripe for redevelopment.

It’s only when you’re in the tower that you realise how well served the region is by the major road network as vehicles can been for miles trundling along the A50, M1, M42 and A453. It’s this connectivity that provides the critical foundation for another of this region’s biggest employers – the logistics sector.

This is where we fit in. The airport is one of the UK’s most import gateways for goods. It’s a regional and national port of entry and exit which enables businesses to quickly get goods to customers or suppliers – whether they’re the likes of Rolls Royce moving aero engines, or small pharmaceutical businesses getting PPE equipment into hospitals.

Despite the devastating impact the pandemic has had on our passenger operation, our cargo operation has gone from strength to strength. The critical role the airport played in the rapid movement of PPE to frontline healthcare providers in the early days of the pandemic, combined with the rise in demand for dedicated air cargo flights due to a lack of bellyhold capacity on long-haul passenger routes, has meant we have broken a number of records recently. December was our heaviest ever month which saw an increase in volume of goods rise by 43% compared with December the previous year. In 2020 an additional 50,000 tonnes of goods passed through the airport, an increase of 13% from 2019. Our annual tonnage now stands at 421,000.

It’s against this backdrop that we have joined a consortium of LEPs, local authorities, universities, and other businesses, to submit a region-wide Freeport bid. If successful, it would align the region’s industrial strengths in advanced manufacturing, automotive and logistics and boost competitiveness. Along with parts of the SEGRO East Midlands Gateway site, to the north of our airfield, we form the East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster (EMAGIC). This is one of three key sites that have been put forward as part of the bid, the other two being Uniper's Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station site in Rushcliffe (Nottinghamshire) and the East Midlands Intermodal Park (EMIP) in South Derbyshire.

As the ‘port’ within the Freeport, along with our road haulage and rail operating partners, the connectivity that we offer is one of the strengths of the bid. It also points to the fact that EMA is increasingly not just an important regional asset, but is a key global gateway for the whole of the UK and it will play a significant role in the Government’s ambition for a ‘global Britain’.

Should the bid be successful (we hope to hear at the Budget on 3 March), specifically for the airport, it will help speed up our cargo strategy as we plan for a future when demand is unlikely to ebb away for the specialist services provided by the EMA-based air cargo operators. It will also help further establish and safeguard the airport and the wider region as a national hub for global trade and investment to support business growth.

The bid is already creating a buzz and I hope that we get the outcome this region deserves, as it will shine a spotlight on a part of the country which has so much to offer investors, existing businesses that want to grow, and the supply chains that are linked to them.

The challenges facing UK aviation are serious and well documented. Passenger numbers are in freefall and the industry continues to press hard for changes to the government’s handling of this crisis to protect jobs and support economic recovery.

However, behind the quiet terminals, ever-changing lists of ‘safe’ countries and self-isolation, lies an emerging story of aviation growth which, in part, is a beneficiary of reduced passenger traffic combined with changes to consumer habits.

Civilian passenger aircraft carry not only people and their luggage, but packages and parcels too. When they’re not flying much, the goods they should have carried need to be flown by other means. This has resulted in increased demand for dedicated air cargo specialists to transport goods to customers around the world.

MAG’s East Midlands and London Stansted airports are home to the UK’s two largest dedicated air cargo operations. Between them, they handle over 600,000 tonnes of goods each year which are flown to and from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. The volume of goods they are handling, and have been doing so all summer, is more akin to what we would expect to see in the autumn and winter in the run-up to Christmas. In July, the volume of goods handled at EMA was up 26% on the same month last year, while London Stansted saw a 40% rise.

Both airports have seen an increase in the number of cargo flights to North America due to passenger air traffic between the US and UK dropping by 80% on this time last year. Therefore, cargo airlines have been stepping in to fill the gap. At East Midlands, DHL have launched new routes to Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and JFK while, at London Stansted, FedEx have added three additional weekly rotations to the US.

Furthermore, during the pandemic, increasing numbers of people have turned to popular e-commerce platforms for all shopping. While online commerce was already on the rise, Covid has nudged more people into internet shopping, many of whom are now buying a wider range of goods online including everything from phones, tablets, clothes and books to white goods. Earlier in the year, when lockdown was in its infancy, internet sales rocketed from 19% in February to 33% in April.

Such is the demand for next-day-deliveries, people are also prepared to pay more to receive their purchases quicker. Therefore, the demand for express freight services has never been so great. This is another major factor in why the likes of DHL, UPS and FedEx, who have global operations at MAG airports, say they are operating at peak season levels.

This is not just a rare good news story for aviation during what is arguably the biggest crisis the sector has faced, but there are positives for the economy too. Logistics is one of the few sectors that continues to employ more people and create new jobs. The evidence is there for all to see around East Midlands Airport, for example, with the neighbouring East Midlands Gateway a good example of growth which complements the airport’s own cargo operation. This is primarily due to EMA’s ‘hub’ status as a cargo airport where not all goods that come into EMA are for the UK. Some will be offloaded onto different aircraft, while others will be collected by lorry which are driven to end users or even other airports where they are loaded onto long haul passenger flights.

Airports are engines of growth in their own right and thousands of jobs depend on them. While the current climate has created the ideal conditions for dedicated air cargo operators to grow, our airports need both passengers and parcels to be successful businesses in the long term. The demand we have seen for dedicated air cargo at MAG demonstrates how critical the UK’s airports are to the future success of our trading capability.

Strong trading links and the ability to move people and goods quickly across the world have been at the heart of the UK’s success for centuries. This is more important than ever as we prepare for life outside the EU, which is why leaders across our industry have called repeatedly on the government to give aviation the support it needs if the UK is going to avoid being at the back of the queue as the world economy gets to its feet. Therefore, the government needs to reconsider its response to the current crisis and give aviation the support it needs for the UK to bounce back quickly from the current economic slump.

Stephen Harvey, Group Head of Cargo and General Aviation, MAG

This time last year, airports across the UK were gearing up for what is usually one of their busiest periods. 

At East Midlands Airport (EMA), more than a million people passed through the airport during July and August on their way to popular destinations such as Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Faro, Malaga and Tenerife.

This year, large parts of the airport remain closed and it’s fair to say passenger numbers are a handful of what we’d usually expect.

The impact of Covid-19 – and quarantine restrictions - on the travel industry is clear for all to see.

It is evident in the tens of thousands of job losses that have already been announced and the millions of holidays already cancelled.,

If reports are to be believed, our government was due to debate taking a more realistic and passenger-friendly approach to quarantine decisions on Monday 24 August at its Covid Committee. But this meeting didn’t happen. It’s not the first time a critical decision in this area has been put off, with no credible explanation for the delay.

Indeed, throughout the pandemic there has been no evidence of any recognition from the government of the need to protect the travel industry and enable it to recover from what is undoubtedly the biggest crisis it has ever faced.

This is an industry that collectively supports around 2m jobs, with East Midlands Airport alone making an economic contribution of £300 million to the UK each year.

We see no signs that it wants to avoid further jobs losses, or an appreciation of the critical role airports will have in the economic revival of regions across the country as we gingerly emerge from this crippling pandemic.

This in stark contrast to the approach we have seen taken by numerous governments around the world, whose decisive action to protect their aviation sectors makes clear how much value they attach to them.

From the very start of this pandemic, as airports such as East Midlands lost all its passenger operations overnight and the devastating impact of Covid-19 on our industry became clear we, have appealed for a support package for airports. But our request for business rates relief was ignored, despite lockdown.

By contrast, Germany has secured EU State Aid approval, in order to compensate airports for lost revenue and protect their futures.

The failure to recognise the need for direct financial support was disappointing to say the least, but perhaps not surprising when you consider our government already places its airports at a competitive disadvantage by levying some of the highest passenger taxes in the world.

But the impact of this decision has been amplified many times over by its sluggish, chaotic and illogical approach to travel restrictions, an area where we have watched other nations move quickly and decisively while our government has remained in its own decision-making lockdown. 

Having initially imposed blanket quarantine rules on all destinations, we eventually saw “travel corridors” agreed with our most important tourism markets, following a period of stubborn procrastination, which is yet another example of this Cabinet’s inability to rise above division, put their heads down and agree a common-sense answer.

But a few short weeks after the key Spanish travel corridor was established, it was effectively closed-off again, due to soaring infection rates in the northern regions of Catalonia, Aragon and Navarre.

For those planning a trip, there was a glimmer of hope that the Balearic and Canary Islands could remain restriction-free.

But that prospect was whipped away quicker than a poolside towel left unattended for too long, as Foreign and Commonwealth Advice was aligned with the blanket quarantine rule without clear evidence and announced via media with hours to go before being implemented. To put this in context for East Midlands, Over half of all EMA passengers travel to Spain and its islands every year.

Catalonia is closer to Derby than it is to Gran Canaria, making this blanket approach not only unnecessary and illogical, but hugely damaging to an already-ailing sector.

It seems there is an acceptance within the Department for Transport and by the Transport Secretary himself that a regionalised approach is needed, but we find ourselves months down the line and no progress has been made. With another key meeting cancelled this week, Cabinet cracks cannot seemingly be papered over, even when it comes to protecting an industry as critical as ours. 

Meanwhile, we have watched the penny drop with other major nations, such as Germany, which has moved quickly to enable travel to popular resorts in the likes of Spain, while adopting a localised, targeted approach to quarantine that the UK has so far refused to consider. 

It is further ahead of us on testing too.

As things stand, around 50% of the most popular markets with British tourists have effectively been closed-off.

Some will point to positive news about Portugal becoming restriction-free again, but with so little of our summer remaining, so many popular destinations needlessly closed-off, so many jobs at risk and so little confidence our Prime Minister understands this urgency, you can understand why our industry feels left behind.

Charlie Cornish (CEO, MAG)

Known throughout the region for helping almost five million people a year jet off on their holidays, connecting around £40bn of goods to global markets, and as a site of employment for 9,500 people, the airport has also taken a pioneering approach to sustainability and reducing carbon emissions.

Back in 2002 EMA established an industry leading Environmental Management System (EMS) and was the first UK airport to receive the internationally renowned ISO 14001 accreditation for managing its local environmental impact. Building on this, it was certified as the UK’s first carbon neutral airport in 2012 – removing over 3,500 tonnes of carbon from ground operations and installing the first (and only) commercial-grade wind turbines at a UK airport to generate clean, green energy.

Furthermore, EMA diverts 97% of waste from landfill and continues to invest heavily in sustainable transport schemes.

In 2005, EMA began working with local bus companies to encourage better use of public transport as a means of getting to and from the airport. In its first year, this resulted in 233,000 more people using buses. 2019 marked 15 years of these partnerships and the Skylink bus network now carries over 3.36 million people a year on routes that serve the airport – taking millions of cars off the road and helping to reduce carbon emissions by thousands of tonnes.

While proud of its sustainability commitments to date, there is more to do. In Spring 2020, EMA will publish its ‘Net-Zero Roadmap’, outlining the steps needed to remove the final emissions from ground operations (currently managed through offsetting) while continuing to grow as an international hub for passenger travel and trade.

The airport will work even more closely with airlines and manufacturers to support their efforts to decarbonise air travel, encouraging the development of better technologies and sustainable aviation fuels, as well as looking at smarter ways of flying.

All of this comes in the same year that EMA will complete an extension to its terminal facilities, publish its refreshed Sustainable Development Plan (which sets out its masterplan for the next five years) and hopes to be designated as part of a new Freeport.

East Midlands Airport can demonstrate that growth, when done responsibly, can be green.

It’s not just air flight that can be enhanced by automation, but the entire experience of air travel, from check-in to boarding a plane.

The potential for more automation at airports will undoubtedly enhance the passenger experience and speed up the processing of goods. But it also challenges existing business models which underpin the airport’s current operation.

My job as an airport managing director at a time of great transition and change in technology, is to balance the need to continue to generate income from established products, such as car parking and retail, but also to have a focus on how the business can respond to, and benefit from, a very different world in which the customer is much more self-sufficient.

A shift to autonomous car use, for example, coupled with the demand for electrical power charging points will have an impact on any business that supplies car parking. It will result in a major change to our infrastructure at the airport.

Ask anyone what they like least about air travel, and they'll probably say check-in, baggage drop-off, security or border control – all of which are necessary, but can they be done more efficiently? What if we could make boarding a plane as simple as boarding a bus?

In fact, that's just what's started happening already in airports around the world. Facial recognition technology and artificial intelligence is driving a new generation of self-service air travel. In not too many years’ time, smartphones could play an even greater role in the check-in process than they do now, serving as a passport, boarding pass and ID for the entire journey.

Once inside the airport, tomorrow’s passenger could be faced with virtual shopping centres where a buying history for each passenger can be identified via a smartphone to create a personalised display of their favourite brands or products, all of which could be delivered to their home ready and waiting for them as they return.

New technology will also improve airport operations. Increasingly air traffic control towers are becoming more automated with some airports relying on a centralised remote facility where cameras feed live images back to controllers monitoring screens. However, despite all the advances of modern technology, I predict there will always need to be some human intervention in air traffic control, which will come as a big relief to my team of controllers at EMA - though I imagine some would be glad to see the back of the busy night shifts!

This brings me onto the technology which controls the invisible infrastructure in the skies. You and I cannot see this with naked eye, but it is so critical to the way that aircraft navigate their way from one destination to another.

At EMA we are deep into a programme of airspace modernisation. As is the case with all infrastructure, it needs updating to respond to demand. The current airspace (or motorways in the sky as we like to refer to them) were designed in the 1950s. Air traffic has increased, aircraft are technologically far more sophisticated, and the airspace is no longer fit for purpose. In the same way that new roads need building to accommodate increased traffic, the skies above our airports also need reconfiguring. This is partly in response to changes to ageing navigational aides which guide aircraft in and out of airports like EMA.

Automation will benefit the movement of products as well as people by air. EMA is home to the UK’s largest dedicated cargo operation. On site are global logistics specialist who are investing in new technology which speeds up the handling of goods that are sorted by barcode with very little human intervention. On the north side of our airfield is the East Midlands Gateway logistics facility. Some of the units there are state-of-the art and pretty much fully automated.

In the aviation world, drones have a bad reputation. However, they could play a more critical role in the final mile of delivery of goods. In the US, drones have been used for getting medical deliveries to rural communities and ship-to-shore transport of blood samples, with the potential to aid disaster-relief efforts. There are some regulatory hurdles to overcome before this is common place in the UK.

These are just a few examples of how aviation will be enhanced by new autonomous technology. But no matter how radical the changes will be in years to come, there will still be a need for a physical airport – or a hub from which planes and other flying vehicles can land and take off safely. This means that people will still need to travel to and from airports, certainly in the foreseeable future. Therefore, airports are likely to become more important than ever as hubs for connectivity. Can new technology improve the way that key assets and landmarks like airports are better connected to the people that use them?

An airport cannot exist in isolation. Its operation and activity can drive the regional economies they serve forward - providing connectivity, economic value and employment for local people. This is certainly the case in the East Midlands.

To support and to enable this region’s growth, EMA needs to be better connected. Connectivity is the catalyst for the growth of economic activity in the local area. We are seeing the product of this with the logistics development particularly at the East Midlands Gateway, but elsewhere including Jaguar Land Rover’s announcement to set up its global logistics hub at Appleby Magna at junction 11 of the A42. Proximity to the airport was cited as one of the reasons for choosing this location.

But the regional geography is a challenge, and some of the distances between key communities and employment sites are just slightly too great to be served by existing transport infrastructure. If we want to make it easier and quicker for more people to access the airport, existing modes of transport may not deliver the networks we need.

The way our transport connectivity has developed in the past will be very different in the future.

Innovative thinking and new transport technologies may be the answer. These will need to be fast and operate at high frequency. In this region we have such a wealth of transport history, knowledge and expertise, it should not be beyond us to develop our own transport network that is the envy of not just other areas of the UK, but across the world.

Imagine an airport at the heart of its region connected by the most innovative transport systems, homes without drives or garages, smarter roads which recharge the batteries of electric cars and trucks as they drive along them, short hops being taken by autonomous electric taxis, or even flying craft and quieter and more efficient aircraft carrying people further than ever before. Sounds too good to be true? Much of this is happening now – so why not position the East Midlands as pioneers of new technology and transportation?

Karen Smart - Managing Director, East Midlands Airport (EMA).

This blog is an extract from Karen’s address to the Leicester Business Festival event - The Future of Human Transportation and Regional Connectivity – at MIRA Technology Institue on Monday 4 November.

Tour operators across the East Midlands are reporting a sudden influx of bookings as temperatures tumble to what feels more like autumn.

If you haven’t yet booked your summer get-away, this is the year to bag a last-minute bargain.

The feedback we have is that holiday makers are leaving it later than ever to book. Many people are hedging their bets as last year’s glorious summer is still relatively fresh in the memory. Do we opt for a staycation in the hope it’s going to be a scorcher, or go further afield? These are the conversations happening around dining room tables in homes across the region right now, including my own!

While we all hope for some better weather in the UK, the quirks of being a small coastal northern hemisphere island means that prolonged high pressures and glorious sunshine are never guaranteed. So, if it’s wall-to-wall sunshine you want, you’re better off jumping on a plane.

As well as the newly launched Thira (Santorini) service doing well, the other destinations that have seen strong year-on-year growth from East Midlands Airport are Tenerife, Rhodes, Faro and Mahon (Menorca).

The Eastern Med and Eastern European resorts are also proving popular (bookings to Dalaman are up on this time last year) as cheaper alternatives to Southern Spain and Portugal. In fact, back in April we saw a significant 20 per cent increase in passengers travelling to Turkey.

Booking very last minute does require an element of holding your nerve. If you already have time booked off, but haven’t yet decided where to go, and are prepared to take a bit of a gamble, it can pay off to leave it late.

Here’s a flavour of some of the deals we’ve seen in recent days, with flights from EMA*:

- Jet2 are still offering free child places on some routes

- Tui: departing 18 June, one-week half-board in Croatia from £489 per person

- Tui: one week self-catering to Kavos on 29 July from £295 per person

- Thomas Cook: flying 21 June, one-week self-catering in Tenerife from £325 per person

- Thomas Cook: departing 31 July, one-week self-catering in Ibiza from £467 per person

- Thomas Cook: flying 12 August, one-week self-catering to Corfu for two adults and two children from £1858 (total price)

- Jet2 Holidays: flying 15 August to Antalya (Turkey) one week self-catering for two adults and two children from £1632 (total price)

- Jet2 Holidays: flying Mon 17 June to Antalya, one week ALL INCLUSIVE for 2 adults from £460 per person

- Jet2 Holidays: flying 9 August to Costa De Almeria (Spain), one week self-catering for two adults and two children from £1756 (total price)

More deals will become available the deeper into the season we go. So, keep a look out. And if I see anything eye-catching I’ll be sure to let you know – unless I’ve booked it myself!

Heidi Barlow (Head of Marketing) - East Midlands Airport

*Prices correct as of midday 10th June 2019 and subject to availability. For more information, check with the individual operator website or visit your local travel agent.

This beautiful setting (the official residence of the President of Malta) was heavily featured throughout Season 1, where it doubles as part of the Red Keep exterior. 

- Road trip from Luqa to San Anton Palace, a short 21 minute drive!

King's Landing Gate: Mdina

Malta’s original capital (pronounced Imdina) is a sight to behold. Rightly so, it’s a principal spot for GoT enthusiasts. Perched proudly on top of the island, its medieval walls encircle a rich tapestry of museums, shops and quaint alleys.

- Road trip from San Anton Palace to Mdina - 11-minute drive!

Great Sept Of Baelor: Fort Manoel

Fort Manoel is a stunning military fortification built in the 18th century by The Order of Saint John, situated on the Manoel Island in Gzira. Fans may remember this as the site in which Ned Stark lost his head, literally.

- Road trip from Mdina to Fort Manoel is reachable in just half an hour’s drive.

The Red Keep: Fort St. Angelo 

Fort St. Angelo was used for some of the scenes of Arya chasing cats in the Red Keep and its unique appearance sits proudly on the Croatian coastline.

- Road trip from Fort Manoel to Fort St. Angelo (Gzira) is only a 7 minute drive.

Daenery's And Drogos Wedding: Azure Window

Home to D & D’s wedding, the beautiful arch stood proud for many decades, however, sadly crumbled in stormy weather in 2017.

The Red Keep: Fort Ricasoli

Home to the Red Keep, the beautiful gateway to Malta’s port has fallen victim to the sea corrosion and has now unfortunately been inaccessible to the public since 2013.

King's Landing: Dubrovnik 

The stunning Croatian coastline was the backdrop for the royal capital of Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms, the Red Keep and, of course, the highly disputed Iron Throne.

Its two-kilometre-long wall, sitting 22 metres high, will impress even more so than on the big screen. Interestingly, in the show, Dubrovnik shared its scenes with Mdina in Malta. For coastline shots, Dubrovnik was preferred but Mdina was chosen for the street scenes within King's Landing itself.

• From EMA to Dubrovnik: flight time 3 hours

Learn more about Dubrovnik

Meereen: Kliss Fortress 

This beautiful steeped hillside is perhaps best known for the ‘liberation’ of the slave population of Yunkai. This path famously played host to Daenerys Targaryen and her army as they marched towards Meereen. As you may remember, the path wasn’t exactly littered with ‘welcome to our city’ messages!

Conveniently, the memorable medieval fortress is a short drive to the famous ‘stone city’ of Sibenik. 

• Road trip from Dubrovnik to Klis along the beautiful coastline - 2 hours 49 minutes 

Braavos: Šibenik

Historical landmarks don’t get much more beautiful than in Šibenik. This is where an impaired Arya was forced to beg on the streets, with only a stick for protection. Things to do here also include an open-air theatre over-looking the bay and neighbouring islands.

• Klis to Šibenik road trip - 52 minutes​

Landscapes of The West (Westeros Riverlands): Krka National Park 

To round-off one of the prettiest road trips you are likely to take, visit the mesmerising Krka National Park. In less than an hour, you’re transported to an area of ‘outstanding natural value’ –– and for good reason. You’ll be transfixed by a series of seven breath-taking waterfalls. This provided the perfect backdrop for Arya and the Hound’s journey through Westeros. 

• Šibenik to Krka road trip - 17 minutes

If you don’t fancy the drive, you can fly directly from EMA to Split (closest airport to Krka, Sibenik and Kliss).

• Average flight time from EMA to Split - 2 hours 45 mins.

Coming soon: Game of Thrones locations in Malta