IAG Cargo will construct a second premium freight facility at its London Heathrow hub.

The new building, which will be twice the size of the current Premia facility, is scheduled to launch operations in 2018.

“IAG Cargo’s four airlines now carry more premium freight than at any point in their combined history,” said Drew Crawley, CEO. “With the continued growth of high-speed e-commerce and cool chain logistics in particular, as well as the ongoing expansion of the IAG family and network, we need facilities that are ready for the next generation of premium freight. We believe that the blend of our next-generation aircraft, new freight facilities such as this one and our expanding network means that IAG Cargo is extremely well positioned in the market to meet the current and future premium freight demands of all our customers. Our new premium warehouse will be built away from existing Premia, leaving our current operation and customer service unaffected.”

According to IAG, the new facility will manage all express Prioritise shipments and passive Constant Climate shipments, with a larger dedicated temperature-control centre for pharmaceuticals, new delivery and collection doors and an advanced warehouse management system.

“Over the past few years we have continued to see year-on-year growth in premium freight,” said Sarah Coulson, head of strategy and business development at IAG Cargo. “Our commitment to consistently deliver a high level of service to our customers has undoubtedly influenced our strong performance in this market. We want to continue our growth and performance in this sector and our new facility will help deliver this.”