A new airfreight route from Kenya to the U.K. has begun at Doncaster Sheffield Airport in northern England, marking the first scheduled flights handling perishable cargo. 

Network Airline Management has secured a deal with the airport for a weekly MD11 service from Nairobi to the county of Yorkshire, opening up a major new market.

The airport was certified as a dedicated port of entry for perishable commodities last year and now Kenyan exporters are supplying a range of vegetables and flowers to British supermarkets.

“We’ll be working with Network Airline Management to handle a weekly scheduled flight from Nairobi with flowers and vegetables for the UK market. This deal will see some 3,500 tonnes of cargo transported a year,” Doncaster Sheffield Airport cargo manager Dayle Hauxwell says.

“This new scheduled operation also opens up the opportunity for UK export freight.

“Our entrance into this new market is further evidence that the cargo operation has established an international reputation as the UK’s most freighter friendly airport. And we believe this is just the beginning, as the industry recognises the benefits offered by Doncaster Sheffield Airport. ”

Network Airline Management, the freighter division, operates a fleet of B747F and MD11F aircraft on a scheduled and charter basis throughout the world.

“We selected to fly to Doncaster Sheffield Airport for a number of reasons. It offers a 24 hour operation without being slot restricted, is very freighter friendly and considerably less congested than other locations,” Network Airline Management commercial director Andy Walters said.

www.freshfruitportal.com