How does royal mail receive international mail from airports
Royal Mail, the UK's postal service, receives international mail from airports through a process that involves several steps:
- Airline sorting: When an international flight arrives at a UK airport, the airline's ground handling team sorts the mail and packages from the flight into separate batches. This is usually done at the airline's cargo terminal or at a designated mail sorting facility.
- Airport mail center: The sorted mail is then transported to the airport's mail center, which is usually located within the airport's cargo area. The mail center is responsible for processing and sorting mail for onward transmission to its final destination.
- Royal Mail's Airport Mail Hub: Royal Mail has its own dedicated Airport Mail Hub at several UK airports, including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, and Birmingham. The hub is responsible for receiving, sorting, and processing international mail from the airport mail center.
- Sorting and processing: At the Airport Mail Hub, Royal Mail staff sort and process the international mail using specialized machinery and software. The mail is sorted by destination country, zip code, and other relevant criteria to ensure efficient onward transmission.
- Transit to Royal Mail's National Distribution Network: Once sorted and processed, the international mail is transported to Royal Mail's National Distribution Network, which is a network of sorting offices and delivery centers across the UK.
- Final sorting and delivery: The international mail is then sorted and delivered to its final destination within the UK, or onward to its international destination via Royal Mail's international network.
Some additional details:
- Royal Mail has a dedicated team of staff at the Airport Mail Hub who are responsible for processing international mail. They work closely with the airport's mail center and airline staff to ensure a smooth and efficient process.
- The Airport Mail Hub is equipped with specialized machinery, such as automated sorting machines and barcode scanners, to help process the large volumes of international mail.
- Royal Mail also uses electronic data interchange (EDI) systems to communicate with airlines and other postal services around the world, ensuring that mail is tracked and traced accurately throughout its journey.
Overall, Royal Mail's process for receiving international mail from airports involves a combination of manual and automated processes, as well as close collaboration with airlines and other postal services to ensure efficient and reliable delivery of mail to its final destination.