Lufthansa Cargo has decided to expand its Cool Center at its Frankfurt hub.

“After five years of success, we want more,” said Alexis von Hoensbroech, board member for product and sales at Lufthansa Cargo. “That is why we intend to further upgrade and significantly expand our Cool Center in the coming year.”

According to the carrier, construction will begin in February 2017 and will grow the 4,500m² facility to an area measuring 8,000m². It currently features four cold-storage rooms at different temperature ranges and a deep-freeze room. The project is scheduled to be completed by late summer 2017.

“The expansion is driven by continuous growth in temperature-sensitive cargo,” said von Hoensbroech. “We are pleased that our customers are benefiting from our comprehensive experience. We want to be their first choice in the future as well.”

Lufthansa was awarded the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics certification by the International Air Transport Association in September 2016.

The carrier announced in April 2015 that it would postpone a decision on the investment in a new cargo terminal by at least two years, but that it would continue to modernize the existing infrastructure until then.