we’re shipping. There are key
periods for some products
such as flowers, where we see a
big uptick in volumes around
Valentine’s Day, International
Mother’s Day and the summer
wedding season,” he explains.
“On the other hand, some
products, such as salmon
from Norway and Chile, see
consistent demand all year
round.”
Operationally speaking
How do they preserve quality
and ensure maximum shelf life
of their growing perishables
shipments?
“Both our London and
Madrid hubs have the capacity
to handle perishable goods and
we have the benefit of direct
airside facilities, significantly
reducing transit times and
protecting the quality of the
product,” Johnson explains.
“In Madrid we offer a dedicated
process for perishable freight
shipments, with a specialised
warehouse and perishables
team who monitor and control
shipments from their arrival
The growth in
perishables can
be attributed to
UK supermarket
demand for fresh
produce
Graham Tufft, Regional Commercial
Manager for Africa
through to the outgoing flight. We also use refrigerated trucks
to carry Constant Fresh consignments between the Madrid
warehouse and the aircraft. We utilise a similar set-up at our centre
in Miami, with facilities to precool fruits and vegetables and
refrigerated reefer trucks which protect goods from the tropical
climate.”
While IAG Cargo doesn’t currently have any plans to introduce
dedicated perishables facilities at its African stations, this doesn’t
affect its capability to move perishables here, asserts Johnson. “We
select ground handling agents based on their capability to handle
our customers’ products to the required standards and we provide
over 200 hours’ staff training and 1,000 hours’ specialised training
to ensure our staff have the experience and expertise to serve our
customers to the highest of standards,” he explains. “One of the
key considerations when handling perishables is speed, so we
select handling facilities that are in close proximity to the aircraft.
Cut-off times are also considered to allow shippers to drop off
perishables as close to departure as possible and we work
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