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From: Dale
ArtDate: 26 January 2004
Section: (FILLYABOOTS NEWS RELEASES)
Remote Name: 195.92.168.168
Date: 31/01/04
Time: 09:27
26th January 2004
MAJOR NEW CARGO FACILITIES AT LONDON MANSTON AIRPORT
News Item - St Brides Media and Finance Ltd
PlaneStation, the fully listed airport and property company, is to create a major new airport cargo handling facility for food from outside the European Union at London Manston Airport at a cost of £2.5m.
The Border Inspection Post (BIP) will be 3,200 square metres and will be one of the largest facilities of this kind at an airport in the UK. Included in the development is 1,600 square metres of additional warehouse space.
The BIP should be operational in the summer of this year with design and construction intended to be undertaken by Kent-based firms.
The BIP will provide full temperature controlled facilities for the control of imported food and enable the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to carry out quality checks prior to its introduction into the food chain.
PlaneStation Chief Executive Oliver Iny said: "The building of the BIP should open up significant new cargo markets for London Manston. This is an essential move for the next stage of the commercial development of freight business at London Manston. We have already had considerable success with our cargo operations and the opening of the BIP will make the airport even more attractive to UK and overseas freight operators."
The BIP is part of a major on-going programme of investment at the airport which has also recently seen the introduction of CCTV cameras, the upgrading of fencing, and the introduction of new automatic landing (ILS) facilities.
Oliver Iny added: "The Directors believe that Industry interest in Manston is high and aircraft operators are considering the development of aircraft maintenance facilities. We are now actively pursuing these proposals following the obtaining of planning permission for two new hangars, capable of taking wide bodied jets."
The creation of the BIP facilities at Manston will significantly enhance PlaneStation's ability to exploit the demand across Europe for imported perishable produce. PlaneStation believes that this will complement the BIP at its Black Forest Airport at Lahr, which it expects to be operational this spring.
Attention is now being turned towards the introduction of new passenger traffic to Manston. PlaneStation's strategy is to maximise the potential for new traffic between Orlando Melbourne Florida, and PlaneStation's airports at Manston and elsewhere in Europe. Also, it aims to attract scheduled passenger traffic to operate from Manston to capture the sizeable market that would be available to the airport. PlaneStation wishes to build on the success of the charter flights from Manston to Verona, Dubrovnik and Malta which are to start in Summer 2004.
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Issued on behalf of PlaneStation Group Plc by St Brides Media & Finance Group Plc, 46 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4LR.
Further Enquiries:
Geoff Lansbury PlaneStation Group plc Tel: 020 7495 8686 Isabel Crossley St Brides Media Tel: 020 7242 4477
St Brides Media & Finance Ltd 46 Bedford Row London WC1R 4LR Tel: 020 7242 4477 Fax: 020 7242 4488 Email: info@sbmf.co.uk
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