Interview with Tim Etches, Operations Director

Bournemouth Airport frequently mentions its ‘One Team’ service concept – how literal is that?

Bournemouth Airport and Cargo First are part of Regional and City Airports (RCA) group.  The RCA philosophy is to offer a one stop shop service to operators at our airports, which is equally as applicable to our Cargo First operation as it is to any other element of our business.

If you consider a typical air cargo movement, our in-house team looks after you every step of the way: it is our Air Traffic Controllers that guide aircraft in, our Airfield Services and Fire teams that ensure safety out on the airfield, our handling team that looks after the aircraft turnaround on the apron and our team that covers handling of cargo within the shed.  Our One Team also covers the key ancillary services that are usually required on airport – everything from refuelling to in-flight catering.

What are the benefits compared to what operators might experience at other airports in the UK?

In headline terms, the benefits of the ‘One Team’ approach for our clients are:

• Our service avoids multiple unnecessary handovers which inevitably slow processes down
• All costs are within our control, and we can be flexible and nimble to offer bespoke solutions
• A single point of contact within the cargo commercial team can help quickly assist with any questions you might have about our entire operation

Fundamentally, keeping the whole process simple with an equally simple arrangement of accountable managers, means that we can deliver on our ‘Faster Airfreight’ promise.

With anticipated growth in both the passenger and cargo business at Bournemouth, how will the airport ensure service consistency

The Airport is entering an exciting phase of its development, with substantial growth anticipated on both the passenger and cargo fronts.  In addition to being home base to European Cargo’s fleet of Airbus A340-600 freighters, on the passenger side we’re host to Ryanair and TUI Airways bases and are delighted to welcome UK leisure carrier Jet2 as a new based operator next year.

In response to this growth, we’re planning a significant expansion of facilities for cargo, together with further enhancements to our team – including a substantial increase in numbers in support of our security and handling operations.

We’re confident that these further developments of our cargo operations structure will ensure that we can continue to offer the same levels of quality and efficiency of service for which we’ve already become so well known.  Plus, with more near-term growth in freighter aircraft flying into Bournemouth on the horizon, the whole team is focussed and excited to continue to deliver on our ‘Faster air freight’ promise.