IAG Cargo, the freight operation of the UK-Spanish airline giant IAG, has strengthened a pre-existing relationship with animal transportation services provider Animal Care such that the latter now serves as the cargo carrier’s export partner for animals at London Heathrow International Airport, in addition to having been its animal import partner since February 2023.
According to Animal Aircare, the expansion of the partnership – which actually went into effect in early August – is “testament to its proven expertise in handling the transportation of animals” as well as highlighting both companies’ commitment to ensuring the welfare of animals in transit.
“Having successfully handled imports for IAG Cargo the past 18 months, we are excited about the opportunity to expand our services and venture into exports from Heathrow Airport on behalf of IAG Cargo,” enthused Animal Aircare director Mark Andrew.
Animal Aircare manages the Border Control Post (BCP) at London Gatwick Airport, which incorporates the Animal Reception Centre (ARC) there, as well as an ARC facility at Heathrow.
Its Animal Welfare Officers are responsible for the safe and secure handling of all animals entrusted into their care whilst the animals stay in their temporary airport accommodation.
Pet care
IAG Cargo is by no means the only carrier to pay close attention to the care of animals being transported on its aircraft.
The movement of pets is of great concern. Thus, for example, in August it was announced that Canada-based WestJet Cargo had expanded its pet transportation services from Canada to Gatwick, Heathrow and Edinburgh.
This expansion, using belly capacity, came in response to the growing demand for secure and reliable international pet travel between Canada and Europe, the airline said.
IAG Cargo investment at Heathrow
In other IAG Cargo-related news from Heathrow, in late August the freight carrier announced that it had opened a new control centre at the gateway equipped with real-time cargo monitoring technology designed to manage over 2,000 freight movements per day.
The new London Operations Control Centre is expected to improve on day-to-day decision making through real-time data and workload forecasting tools that enable teams to take proactive action to mitigate risks to the operation.
Every workstation in the facility features audio-visual and data visualisation technology, while there is also a new digital wall to improve the control team’s coordination, situational awareness and visualisation of key operational data.
“This investment will support positive changes in operational efficiency, allowing teams to quickly view real-time positioning of all freight and equipment across the vast London Heathrow hub, as well as key data from various operational systems, all within a centralised platform,” a statement from IAG Cargo said.
