East Midlands Airport is one of the region’s greatest economic assets. As the UK’s largest dedicated freight airport and the primary gateway to the East Midlands Freeport, it connects our businesses to global markets and supports thousands of jobs – all at the heart of the country.
As an island nation in our modern globalised world, it’s essential that we can trade effectively on the international stage. Having an airport gives us a significant competitive edge and makes the East Midlands a region that is in a strong position to support and grow existing businesses as well as attracting new ones.
East Midlands Airport is an asset not only to the region, but to the whole country. Within the UK, its cargo operation is the largest of its kind, providing trade routes to the world’s economic powerhouses. It provides the main UK base for major logistics firms trading around the globe and has recently had great success in attracting new cargo airlines as its reputation as the UK’s number one freight-only airport spreads worldwide.
This matters to our region, because many of our thriving industrial sectors rely on international trade, from the automotive and aerospace industries to advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and life sciences. The firms that are importing and exporting goods in turn rely on a supply chain, and together it’s estimated the airport supported a remarkable 52,000 jobs last year.
Indeed, the airport’s success is not happening in isolation. It sits at the heart of a wider opportunity in my Vision for Growth for the East Midlands – the Trent Arc. This urban regeneration corridor linking Derby and Nottingham brings together our greatest concentration of economic assets, regeneration opportunities, and investment potential.
The Trent Arc covers two city centres, three universities, three train stations, the East Midlands Freeport and Infinity Park Investment Zone site, green and blue spaces, alongside emerging proposals for a new town. Collectively, the pipeline of projects in the Arc has the potential to deliver 30,000 homes, 40,000 high-quality jobs, and £2.4 billion in GVA.
Through the Trent Arc, East Midlands Airport has a golden opportunity to help us deliver a nationally significant growth corridor that provides jobs, homes, innovation, and sustainable prosperity for generations to come.
I’m delighted to see that it is building on its success. Last year, our regional airport’s cargo growth was a third of all air cargo growth in the whole of the UK – a typically East Midlands feat of punching above our weight. And it’s not stopping there, with plans to develop sites – some of them Freeport tax sites – on and near the airfield for the extra cargo-related activity that’s anticipated in the coming years.
As Mayor of the East Midlands, I fully support the airport’s bold vision and will work closely with the airport and partners to ensure it continues to bring lasting benefits to our region. This is our moment to lead – connecting East Midlands businesses to the world, creating opportunities for local people, and building a stronger, more inclusive economy for generations to come.
Posted on 13 August 2026
