AIRPORT IS FLYING HIGH WITH EXTRA POST

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 28 Nov 2007, 18:09

More Mail by Air
11:40 - 28 November 2007

A change in EU regulations has ensured that Exeter International Airport is now handling more mail than ever before.

The amount of post routed through the airport has risen in just two months - and is expected to increase further in 2008.

An average of 568 kilos of post passes through the airport each night on flights between the city and East Midlands and Stansted Airports six nights a week.

The two flights leaving Exeter now carry 247k of mail while 321k arrives at the airport on two flights. This has gone up from 378k on average at the end of September - 159k leaving Exeter and 219k returning.

The increase has come about because of new EU rules which come into force in January limiting the speed of all vehicles over 7.5 tonnes and tighter restrictions on the hours that drivers can work.

This has prompted Royal Mail to increase the amount of post that is transported by air ahead of that date.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "As with all UK companies, Royal Mail must comply with the law and has therefore redesigned its entire network to take account of the changes and the reduced speed limits. While the changes do not become law until January, we introduced the re-engineered network last month to ensure it had time to bed in before the busy Christmas period.

"These new regulations have increased the challenge to Royal Mail of moving mail from one end of the country to the other while still maintaining the quality of service to our customers which has reached record levels."

The Royal Mail air network consists of five main airport hubs - Belfast, Bristol, Nottingham East Midlands, Edinburgh and London Stansted - and 13 feeder hubs - Aberdeen, Benbeccula (Hebrides), Bournemouth, Exeter, Guernsey, Inverness, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kinloss, Kirkwall, Sumburgh (Shetland), Newcastle, and Stornoway.

Nationally, each night 50 flights operate between the hubs, transporting on average 5.2 million items of mail. In Exeter, the average weekly mail bag is 8.5 million items - about 1.5 million items a day - rising to 13.3 million items per week in the run up to Christmas - about 2.4 million items per day.

The firm takes on an additional 320 employees in the city to help with the Christmas increase.

A spokesman for the airport said: "The airport has operated mail flights for many years but there was an increase in the amount carried when the Royal Mail ceased its rail operation."

He said there were no plans to increase the number of loading staff as a result of the changes.

{Changed URL as it was too long}

Post by **Lounge Lizard** » 28 Nov 2007, 18:12

Perhaps we can all return to the earlier starts then.

bigsharkboy · Post by **bigsharkboy** » 28 Nov 2007, 23:01

the trouble is ,it seems to be all coming to my office

xmas has started early this year

Broxi51 · Post by **Broxi51** » 29 Nov 2007, 14:12

Lounge Lizard wrote:Perhaps we can all return to the earlier starts then.

No we will probably have to start later. The EU will prbably bring in some form of legislation that will bring aircraft into line with RM vehicles and restrict them to 56 mph also.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 29 Nov 2007, 14:39

Broxi51 wrote:
Lounge Lizard wrote:Perhaps we can all return to the earlier starts then.
No we will probably have to start later. The EU will prbably bring in some form of legislation that will bring aircraft into line with RM vehicles and restrict them to 56 mph also.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iNg91jlf2Lw

(Not for the faint hearted)

Post by **evilc** » 29 Nov 2007, 15:19

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:
Broxi51 wrote:
Lounge Lizard wrote:Perhaps we can all return to the earlier starts then.
No we will probably have to start later. The EU will prbably bring in some form of legislation that will bring aircraft into line with RM vehicles and restrict them to 56 mph also.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iNg91jlf2Lw (Not for the faint hearted)

Me thinks it is the eurostar from now on.!!!!!!!

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 29 Nov 2007, 15:23

evilc wrote:
TrueBlueTerrier wrote:
Broxi51 wrote:
Lounge Lizard wrote:Perhaps we can all return to the earlier starts then.
No we will probably have to start later. The EU will prbably bring in some form of legislation that will bring aircraft into line with RM vehicles and restrict them to 56 mph also.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iNg91jlf2Lw (Not for the faint hearted)
Me thinks it is the eurostar from now on.!!!!!!!

Just don't take a (Russian) fighter and you should be OK (or a B52

)