Gatwick secures cargo site as report highlights freight growth potential in South East

London Gatwick Airport has taken control of the on-airport World Cargo Centre in a move aimed at strengthening its freight infrastructure and supporting long-term cargo growth across the South East.

image: Gatwick Airport

The acquisition brings the site fully under Gatwick’s operational control, allowing the airport to integrate cargo handling more closely with its wider development plans.

The 1,747 square metre facility, located adjacent to the airfield, plays a central role in how freight is processed at the airport. The move is also linked to Gatwick’s long-term growth strategy, including proposals to bring its Northern Runway into routine use alongside the main runway.

Recent independent analysis by Oxford Economics estimated that the value of imported cargo handled at Gatwick could reach around £9.8bn per year by 2038 under expansion scenarios, more than double 2019 levels. The research also projected wider economic benefits linked to increased connectivity, trade flows and logistics activity across the South East economy, including job creation supported by aviation-related supply chains.

Air cargo at UK airports is increasingly driven by “belly-hold” capacity on passenger services, making ground infrastructure such as cargo centres, warehousing and road access critical to maintaining efficiency and reliability in supply chains.

Freight through Gatwick is closely tied to the wider South East logistics corridor, where demand for warehousing and distribution space has grown in recent years, particularly along the M23 and surrounding industrial zones. Analysts have suggested that improved airport cargo handling capacity can support faster movement of high-value and time-sensitive goods, including pharmaceuticals, electronics and perishables.

Gatwick has said that bringing the World Cargo Centre into its core estate will help safeguard operations at the site while enabling future investment aligned with its long-term expansion programme. The airport also argues that stronger integration of cargo infrastructure will help support resilience in trade routes and improve the efficiency of freight flows.