American Airlines Cargo has enhanced its facilities handling pharmaceuticals and perishable goods in Dallas/Fort Worth and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

According to AA, the new drive-through perishable facility at Dallas/Fort Worth measures almost 4,000 square feet. It will add to the existing perishable and pharmaceutical coolers at DFW, measuring 1,800 and 800 square feet respectively.

“Investing in refrigeration targeted to perishable foodstuffs that transit through DFW is great to see, said Chris Connell, president of Commodity Forwarders Inc., an AA customer. “It’s a major step in the right direction for American Airlines Cargo. Being able to provide an expanded cooler network during those warm Texas months gives us peace of mind when we route via their Dallas hub.”

The carrier said that it would focus on increasing the amount of perishables transiting into and through the Dallas hub this year, particularly from Latin America to Europe and Asia.

In San Juan, AA has built a 600-square-foot cooler facility, which operates two separate, interchangeable units that can maintain temperature ranges of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius and 15 to 25 degrees Celsius. It will also offer 12 plug-in receptacles, 24/7 monitoring and increased capacity for each temperature range, according to AA.

“Having the ability to temporarily store pharmaceuticals in a dedicated location will allow us to offer customers increased opportunities into and through San Juan,” said Russell Santiago, senior account manager of cargo sales for the Caribbean, Mexico & Latin America. “Over the last couple years, we’ve seen an increase in cold-chain traffic into our station, which is consistent with growing market trends and an important sector in the air freight industry.”

The most common commodities moving into and out of San Juan include over-the-counter and prescription medicines, as well as active pharmaceutical ingredients used to produce medications, according to AA.