LONDON: The migrant crisis at Calais showing little sign of abating, British businesses are being forced to find alternative and more expensive ways to transport their goods over the Channel.
Many companies have turned to quick-fix solutions such as chartering aircraft to transfer critical components or goods as road delays have worsened, both around Dover and on the French side.
One emergency air freight company said it had experienced a significant increase in demand from manufacturers seeking to move parts that would have previously been transported by road. Neal Williams, managing director at Dover-based Priority Freight, said in the four weeks from June 23, his company chartered 78 aircraft to move goods, compared with just 30 in the same period last year.
This represented about £900,000 worth of aircraft charters, he said, up from £160,000 last year.
Mr Williams said the majority of the company’s business was coming from car manufacturers, which risk costly disruptions to production if they do not get their parts on time. “The disruption to the Eurotunnel means the flow of traffic coming inbound is incredibly delayed, which means manufacturers need to find alternative solutions to getting product to their factories,” he added.
Another emergency logistics provider, Evolution Time Critical, said it had also seen air charter inquiries run at three to four times the normal levels. “When the problem first arose, we were completely inundated,” said Brad Brennan of Evolution.
