In the run-up to Christmas, American Airlines Cargo announced significant expansions and enhancement to its operations at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Heathrow is its largest operation in Europe. The cargo division of the airline moved to a new location next to its previous two buildings, and in doing so, brought its import and export operations into a single facility. The new American Airlines Cargo facility at Heathrow measures a total of 40,000 m² – which is a 5,000 m² increase compared to the original combined facilities. That gives it almost double as much PMC pallet storage capacity. The number of landside and airside doors have increased, and there are now more X-Ray machines and build stations. These enhancements enable faster acceptance and delivery, as well as improved build-up and break-down efforts.
As well as a larger, improved facility, American Airlines has also updated its digital connection with its cargo handler, Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), to improve operational updates between WFS’s CargoSpot system and American’s iCargo platform. The expansion and technology enhancements are expected to unlock operational efficiencies and provide a better experience for customers shipping cargo in and out of London Heathrow.
Sam Mendenhall, VP of Operations for American Airlines Cargo, said: “The facility expansion is a significant milestone for us in how we operate in LHR. We are confident that the move to a larger, more uniform cargo facility, coupled with the technology enhancements with WFS, will unlock operational efficiencies and ultimately provide a better experience for our customers who ship in and out of LHR.”
