Stansted Airport’s ambition to secure more scheduled freight services was top of the agenda this week as its cargo development team headed to South Korea for top level talks with potential new airlines.

The team is attending the International Air Cargo Forum in Seoul to showcase the world-class facilities on offer at Stansted, the UK’s third busiest airport for cargo, and raise its profile to a global audience of leading airlines to discuss possible new route and service opportunities.

Graeme Furguson, cargo director at Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which includes Stansted, is fronting the delegation at the three-day conference, along with cargo business development manager Conan Busby.

Mr Ferguson said: “Stansted is one of the largest cargo hubs in Britain with more than £9.5billion worth of cargo transported every year.

“We believe there is a significant opportunity to grow the cargo business at Stansted and we are committing considerable time and effort engaging with cargo operators from around the globe to demonstrate the fantastic facilities and world-class infrastructure available at the airport.

“With spare capacity to support significant growth and additional economic activity, MAG‘s ambition is to develop Stansted into the premier scheduled freighter airport for the UK. The airport sits at the heart of the London-Stansted-Cambridge growth corridor, and with the region booming and London’s economic activity shifting towards the east, Stansted is ideally placed to support businesses trading internationally and looking to compete in the global market place.

“Our visit to South Korea is an important first step in building relationships that could lead to more direct freight services operating between major international trading cities and London Stansted.”

Leading companies already operating freight services at Stansted include Asiana, FedEx, Martinair, Royal Mail, Panalpina, Silkway, Atlantic Airways, Titan, TNT and UPS.

More than 230,000 tonnes of freight is shipped annually on more than 11,000 cargo flights to over 200 countries, including textiles, fruit and vegetables, electronics, pharmaceuticals, mail, horses and Formula One equipment.