SEGRO, a leading investor, developer and owner of industrial and logistics space, has agreed a lease on two newly refurbished units at its air freight cargo facility at Gatwick Airport.

Leading international air cargo handling and aviation services company Swissport has agreed a five-year lease for a combined 62,400 sq ft of warehouse space at SEGRO Park Gatwick, which at over 500,000 sq ft is the largest and best located air freight facility at the airport.

Swissport is one of SEGRO’s biggest aviation customers across its on-airport portfolio at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. The leasing has increased the developer’s airport portfolio occupancy rate to 98 percent.

Gareth Baker, Director, Western Corridor at SEGRO, said: “With airlines embracing long haul opportunities, we are seeing significant growth in air cargo facilities across our airport portfolio. Air cargo volumes are projected to rise by 5.8 percent in the next year*, highlighting the sector’s robust recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are always pleased to see our customers expand with us and this deal is particularly exciting, as it represents our biggest leasing at Gatwick in recent years.

“Additionally, the speed at which we successfully leased these two units is testimony to the high standards of our refurbishment efforts.”

Joe Bellfield, Chief Operating Officer, Cargo UKI at Swissport, said: “Swissport is delighted to re-enter the London Gatwick Cargo market. With the continued growth in volumes seen within the UK and Ireland, London Gatwick was a logical choice. We believe the long-haul potential of the airport and graphical location blends nicely with the continued expansion of our UK and Ireland cargo business as we grow our physical footprint by 41 percent in the region.”

This deal represents the twelfth lease signed by SEGRO within its airport portfolio at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted during 2024.