The growth of e-commerce and increasing scope of Black Friday and Cyber Monday has resulted in a surge of express imports to the UK.
Exports are also growing, reports CFL, which were 30% higher this November than last year.
Matthew Ware, CEO of CFL, says, “We recently signed a major deal with Thai Airways and extended our contract with Etihad Airways, giving UK businesses greater access to important export markets in the Far East and South Asia. Of course, this also creates greater express access for producers in those markets into the UK.”
CFL reports that imports are up 18% compared to last year and more than 120,000 bags will be collected by its courier customers in December.
Ware says, “Over the last few years, we have noted Indian express import volumes increasing by around 30% year-on-year, and that is showing no sign of slowing down. Diwali now leads into the pre-Christmas rush to create a longer peak demand.”
The Department for Business and Trade says UK imports from India were £25.4 billion in 2024, up 11.3% on 2023.
India accounted for 2.9% of all imports into the UK in 2024, making it the UK’s 11th biggest import market.
Ware says on days including Black Friday and the ten days before Christmas, volumes can be two or three times higher than other times of the year.
He says, “As business surges, and Christmas gets ever closer, our partners need to know they can still collect and deliver at our usual speed. General cargo typically experiences longer delays when volumes increase.”
CFL has dedicated collection and drop-off bays for customers to collect their shipments 60 minutes after a flight arrives and drop off 90 minutes before departure.
Customers can also drop off and collect from multiple airlines.