Season’s greetings!

^{Posted: 6th December, 2021}

The festive season is an exciting yet busy time for the air cargo industry, and Virgin Atlantic Cargo is no exception! In addition to our usual peak season activity, our charter programme is still in full swing and cargo only flying continues to take place across our network, so Christmas 2021 is shaping up to be our busiest yet.

INTERVIEW WITH:

Kirk Murray, Manager - Cargo Operations Heathrow

Christmas is fast on its way! Have things been ramping up over the last few months? And have you seen any interesting commodities moving through the warehouse?

In all honesty, everyday has felt as busy as the festive period since the pandemic struck in 2019. With cargo being at the heart of the airline these last 18 months we’ve experienced a number of new commodities either being imported in or exported out of the UK.  Large quantities of Beaujolais, Vodka and smoked salmon are very popular at this time of year!

What additional challenges does the season bring the Heathrow Operations team?

Q4 is always a very challenging time, and as the clocks change and winter months draw upon us, the adverse weather conditions always bring additional challenges to the import and export industry at Heathrow.  

What do you enjoy most about work this time of year?

The smile on everyone’s face and festive spirit within the team. We have a fantastic operations team at LHR who strive to deliver operational excellence for Virgin Atlantic Cargo. This can only be achieved collectively and it’s imperative we do this with a spring in our step and smile on our face. 

Looking back at 2021, what do you feel were the team’s proudest achievements?

Our NPS scores. The live operation will always bring different daily challenges, either internal or external. Some of the hurdles we’ve faced this year has really stretched the operation, however our customers have always been at the forefront of everything we do. When you see the scores and feedback from our customers, it shows the value we bring to the business.

And lastly - what are you hoping Santa will bring you this year?

Last Christmas was tough with the UK in lockdown and we all missed the simple things in life, just being around our loved ones. A glass of wine with my closest friends and family is all I could wish for! 

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. We look forward to working with you all again in 2022.