by Phil Pitt

There has been a further sign that more confidence may be creeping back into the Kent economy.

Kent International Airport has announced it handled a record amount of freight in July.

The airport saw 3,467 tonnes of freight pass along its runways, beating the previous best for July of 3,248 tonnes set in 2003.

The Manston airport's chief executive Matt Clarke sounded a note of caution over the figures, saying although they were good for Kent, the air freight industry was still in trouble.

"These results highlight the resilience of our freight business. In a time many are describing as a crisis for aviation, we have experienced steady growth," he said.

He believes cash-strapped airlines have been flocking to KIA to avoid congestion at the larger UK airports.

"The industry is very price sensitive," said Nico LeRoux, freight development manager with KIA’s owners Infratil. "We offer competitive pricing for specialised freight-handling facilities and access to the London distribution centres, so this is winning us business."

Airport bosses are pointing to a recent £1million investment in ground support vehicles and forklift trucks as another reason for KIA’s success.

"Every minute an aircraft spends waiting to be unloaded counts. We have a slick team of highly-trained aircraft handlers with modern equipment," said Mr Clarke.

In the second quarter of the year, overall freight through Manston has increased by 64 per cent compared with last year, the majority of it being fruit and vegetables from Kenya and Ghana destined for supermarkets.