Commercial freight flies to the rescue amidst Calais chaos

As the ferry strikes continue to cause chaos in Calais, crucial automotive parts were flown from Europe to Yorkshire.

2Excel Aviation Ltd, a British carrier based at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, completed its first commercial cargo flight to Liege when flying automotive parts for a large UK-based company.

The Calais strike, along with the Channel Tunnel closures, has had a huge impact on production for many UK-based companies because many manufacturing parts were caught up in the shut-down.

Richie Matthews, cargo manager and pilot for 2Excel Aviation, said: “Even though we are a small team, we were able to respond quickly to the situation in Calais and we made several trips to Liege and Leipzig in a week ferrying nearly 30 tonnes of freight to and from Doncaster on our Boeing 727-200 aircraft.

“All of the cargo we carried was material for the UK automotive industry, with air freight operators such as ourselves playing a clear role in ensuring that production lines did not shut down.”

2Excel Aviation, in partnership with HAE, offers its cargo aircraft for ad-hoc charter operations from Doncaster Sheffield Airport, to locations across the globe, working along with Anglo World Cargo for its Doncaster activities.

Steve Gill, managing director of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, added: “It was great to see that 2Excel were able to step in assist UK based companies who were affected by the situation in Calais.

“The partnership with 2Excel Aviation and their quick response to situations further strengthens our offering and shows that the reputation of the Airport, our cargo terminal and our collective ability to respond quickly to provide hassle free and effective solutions is growing, which can only be positive news for the regional economy.”