Heathrow’s only on-airport express courier handler sees major

CFL says ecommerce boom and Black Friday period are driving demand for express services

With the festive season rapidly approaching, Heathrow-based CFL, the only express courier handler on-site at the airport, is preparing for its busiest time of the year as last-minute shoppers order gifts from overseas suppliers.

With the growth of ecommerce, and the increasing scope of Black Friday and cyber-Monday, there has been a surge in demand for express shipments of products from across the world into the UK.

There’s been a boom in exports too, which were 30% higher this November compared to last year.

Matthew Ware, CEO at CFL, noted; “We recently signed a major deal with Thai Airways and extended our contract with Etihad Airways, giving UK businesses greater access to important export markets in the Far East and South Asia.

“Of course, this also creates greater express access for producers in those markets into the UK.”

According to the ONS the value of UK total imports in the 12 months to the end of September 2024 was £884.3 billion, up 0.02% on the previous 12 months.

IATA says 80% of ecommerce goods by value travel by air.

CFL says imports are up 18% on last year. In December alone, the company will see more than 120,000 bags collected by its courier customers, and it will handle around half a million deliveries over the Christmas period.

Matthew Ware added “November and December are consistently our busiest months, which always puts pressure on our operations to maintain the express services our customers rely on.

“We have been doing this successfully for more than forty years now, so our people are outstanding in meeting these surges in demand.”

Ware continued; “Over the last few years, we have noted Indian express import volumes increasing by around 30% year-on-year, and that is showing no sign of slowing down. Diwali now leads into the pre-Christmas rush to create a longer peak demand.

“India is becoming one of the most important import markets for the UK and we are uniquely well placed to meet this growing demand.”

According to the Department for Business and Trade, total UK imports from India were recorded as £25.4 billion in 2024, an increase of an increase of 11.3% or £2.6 billion in current prices, compared to the same period last year.

In 2024, India accounted for 2.9% of all imports into the UK, making it our 11 th biggest import market.

Matthew Ware commented; “This anticipated boost in pre-Christmas imports and exports is not only a challenge in maintaining our best-in-class delivery times, it also highlights the need to ensure the highest levels of security for the packages we handle.

“Recently, in partnership with Border Force, we introduced a new anti-smuggling that will mean more targeted inspections, less disruption, and more consistent collection times for our customers.”

Ware added; ‘“On some days, including Black Friday and the ten days before Christmas, volumes can be two or three higher than other times of the year.

“However, we have prepared well in advance for handling these higher volumes.

“As business surges, and Christmas gets ever closer, our partners need to know they can still collect and deliver at our usual speed. General cargo typically experiences longer delays when volumes increase.”

CFL has dedicated collection and drop-off bays that allow customers to collect their shipments from only 60 minutes after a flight arrives, and drop off from 90 minutes before flight departures. Customers can drop off and collect from multiple airlines, making CFL the
fastest and most efficient way to receive or send shipments through Heathrow.

Matthew Ware concluded, “Because we are owned by our customers we are able to offer outstanding express connections at a much lower price than general cargo.”

CFL was formed forty years ago as Heathrow became the world’s premier long-haul airport.

The growth of the on-board courier product, which allowed unaccompanied packages to travel in the hold as unaccompanied luggage, led to huge pressure on the passenger
terminals.

As a result, Heathrow looked to move the courier product out of passenger terminals and the industry created CFL to manage this.