AA Cargo opens Heathrow cool-chain facility

American Airlines Cargo has announced the opening of a new Controlled Room Temperature (CRT) facility at its London Heathrow (LHR) cargo center, adding another outpost to its healthcare and pharmaceutical network.

The London facility now provides seamless European connectivity to the carrier’s U.S.-based pharma network, including AA Cargo’s 25,000-square-foot pharmaceutical facility in Philadelphia. The 1,700-square foot facility at LHR expands AA Cargo’s temperature sensitive capacity 16-fold.

Later this summer, the LHR facility will “be further improved” when more of the carrier’s next pharma storage facility becomes operational, capable of maintaining temperatures between 2°C and 8°C, said Andy Cornwell, regional sales manager for northern Europe.

AA Cargo is the second-largest carrier operating between Heathrow and the United States, with up to 20 daily departures across the Atlantic. That sort of frequency allows AA Cargo to offer extensive bellyhold capacity between the U.K. and cities in its U.S. network – an advantage that the carrier is looking to exploit as demand for cargo rises.