UK night flights fall as parcels go by road
Noisy night flights are to be reduced at Coventry Airport following a move by Parcelforce to switch to road and rail as part of a cost cutting drive.
The number of flights the company operates from its Baginton base will be reduced to from five to two per week by the end of the month.
But Mike Dash, chairman of Baginton Parish Council, has today said he fears the benefits will be “short lived” and that increased road traffic will have an impact on people in a wider area.
The flight reductions follow the launch last year of Pegasus, a project set up by Parcelforce Worldwide to examine its transport network, particularly the use of air transportation within the UK. The focus of which was to examine the cost of air transportation and explore credible alternatives whilst “maintaining and improving” the quality of service.
Richard Hall, of Royal Mail, said: “At the start of the project Parcelforce Worldwide had five week-night flights from Coventry to Scotland and Northern Ireland carrying over 800 thousand parcels a year.
“As a result of better utilisation of air capacity and better use of existing road and ferry networks the number of flights each night will reduce to just two.”
In addition to the weekday changes the solitary Sunday domestic flight will also cease. Mr Hall added: “These flights are the only dedicated domestic flights operated solely for Parcelforce Worldwide.
“We will continue to consolidate parcels onto international flights which are used by other carriers and freight companies.
“The changes will obviously reduce the number of nightly flights from Baginton but also significantly reduce costs which will help the Parcelforce Worldwide and Royal Mail recovery plan designed to return the organisation to profit.”
Baginton Parish Council chairman said: “I am sure the airport will not take long to find another company to fly out and replace Parcelforce.
“In the short term for people who live close to the airport they are in for a bit of a reprise but I think that will be short lived.
“The plan is sure to increase the amount of traffic on the roads if they are transporting all this mail by lorry.”
Peter Jackson, Coventry Airport director, said: “We have a long standing relationship with Parcelforce and would be disappointed to see any reduction in their commitment to Coventry Airport.
“However, the Airport continues to be an attractive location for freight operators and we would obviously seek to replace any lost business with new opportunities.”
Airport chiefs said a planning application for the new terminal was to be submitted very shortly.
