While it looks like those could be variants of a curling stone standing on the left of the image, what is actually being shown, is Air Canada Cargo’s brand-new and now up and running cold chain facility at its largest European hub – namely London-Heathrow (LHR.) Offering around 300 m² of temperature-controlled warehouse space, the upgraded facility has been developed to ensure that the transport of temperature-sensitive cargo fully complies with the industry standards and global regulatory requirements. Shipments of pharmaceuticals, fresh food and other perishable cargo that is shipped loose, will all be stored in the respective area that suits their commodity requirements. The facility offers a Cold Room (COL) at +2°C to +8°C, a Controlled Room Temperature (CRT) area for shipments needing +15°C to +25°C, and Extended Room Temperature (ERT) of +2°C to +25°C.
Matthieu Casey, Managing Director, Commercial at Air Canada Cargo, announced: “The launch of our new London-Heathrow cold chain facility continues to show our customers that we are committed to maintaining the integrity and safety of their temperature-controlled products throughout their journey. This enhancement of our capabilities at one of our key global hubs will play a key strategic role in further expanding our already robust global network and advancing our capabilities for our customers.”
The airline offers more than 45 widebody flights per week out of LHR, feeding into its global network. That said, Air Canada Cargo also published an update this week on its Pre-load Air Cargo Targeting (PACT) Program, which becomes effective on 01NOV24. It reminds that from that date on, forwarders must ensure that the data on all Master Air Waybills and House Air Waybills must be complete and correct in order for the shipments to be transported as booked. PACT is Transport Canada’s initiative to improve security by identifying and mitigating high-risk air cargo shipments before they are transported into Canada, using advanced analytics in the risk assessment of pre-loading advance cargo information.
