The men standing on the viewing deck of the BT Tower, have every reason to smile. Nick Weaver, Head of BT CCS-UK (Cargo Community Systems) & BT Air Logistics, is pictured on the far left. Next to him is Steve Parker, BIFA Director General, James Golding, Head of Cargo and Airline Partnerships at Heathrow Airport, and finally, on the right, Andy Cooke, BIFA External Affairs Consultant. They are all celebrating the official launch, on 29APR25, of a new British International Freight Association (BIFA) cargo community advisory body, headed by Andy Cooke (who has 30+ years of freight forwarding experience), that will bring cargo stakeholders together to ensure that the Heathrow cargo redevelopment will take their requirements into account. In the past, much of this task befell the CCSUK User Group. In focus is the major overhaul that is planned for Heathrow Airport’s cargo village and the redevelopment of the ‘Horseshoe’ cargo center. Freight management systems are to be modernized to facilitate data sharing within the cargo community.
Steve Parker, BIFA Director General, explained: “Whilst we wait for the promised third runway, BIFA is focusing on the airport’s cargo development. On behalf of our members, BIFA is already working closely with the airport to support its ambitious plans to deliver a fundamental change to the way cargo operates at the airport. Our intention with the establishment of an advisory body is to allow BIFA members and other stakeholders to work with the airport authority to have a central role and be at the forefront of discussions in what needs to be addressed. The plans unveiled last October, will mean a significant redevelopment of the cargo estate which is set to commence in the next two to three years, as the airport looks to accommodate rising demand, modernize some ageing first-line cargo handling facilities, and improve cargo flows and efficiency. BIFA is already a member of a strategic governance board set up by the airport authority [and] want[s] to be the conduit through which BIFA members can be at the heart of what is being developed for cargo at Heathrow. By participating in this advisory body, BIFA members and other stakeholders will be able to help shape best practice as the redevelopment of the cargo area begins, and develop methods via which the group can represent members’ interests on this subject in conjunction with the airport authority.”
