IAG Cargo opens constant climate centre in Madrid
Work on the new facility began in June 2018 and is the latest addition to IAG Cargo’s Madrid hub, which handles over 250,000 tonnes of cargo per year.
With two dedicated temperature-controlled chambers totaling over 900m2, the Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certified facility will allow IAG Cargo to increase the volumes of temperature sensitive pharmaceutical products passing through its Madrid hub, primarily serving the growing Latin American pharmaceuticals market, projected to increase by 9% per year until 2028. The new centre is operated by an expert team, with shipments loaded onto dedicated airside docks and served by a specialist fleet of refrigerated trucks in order to protect the pharmaceuticals from the cargo terminal to loading onto aircraft.
Constant Climate is IAG Cargo’s state-of-the-art cold chain product, specially designed for precision management of time and temperature sensitive pharmaceutical products. Trusted by the world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers, the service is managed via a dedicated team who handle bookings, advise on packaging solutions and ensure shipments meet the strictest of regulatory standards.
Camilo Garcia, Director of Sales, Marketing and Products at IAG Cargo, said: “The opening of this new Constant Climate centre reflects our continued investment in our infrastructure and operations. Constant Climate was the first pharma-only product to the market and last year we shipped over 25,000 tonnes of life-saving medicines and vaccines.
“Good Distribution Practice (GDP) is a critical focus for our Constant Climate product as it ensures delivery of medicine to the end-patient in a pure, potent and stable condition. All of our staff involved in the handling of Constant Climate shipments are GDP trained and the certification of the Madrid facility means that all three of our Constant Climate hubs - London, Dublin and Madrid - are GDP certified, driving quality across our network.”
IAG Cargo is the single business created following the merger of British Airways World Cargo and Iberia Cargo in April 2011. Following the integration of additional airlines into the business, including Aer Lingus, Vueling and bmi, IAG Cargo now covers a global network of over 350 destinations.
In 2017 IAG Cargo had a commercial revenue of €1,132 million. It has a combined workforce of more than 2,470 people. Its parent company, International Airlines Group, is one of the world's largest airline groups with 565 aircraft. It is the third largest group in Europe and the sixth largest in the world, based on revenue.
