Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is to install a cold chain facility which will be capable of precise temperature ranges for shipments of pharmaceuticals, flowers and fresh foods.

According to the airport, the facility is expected to be operational this summer and will be operated by AirLogistix USA.

“There are tremendous growth opportunities for domestic and international cargo customers to ship perishables through DFW to 180 markets,” said John Ackerman, executive vice president of global strategy and development at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. “We are very excited to partner with AirLogistix USA on a cold chain facility at DFW Airport. Today, we handle 66% of the air cargo from Texas, and our cargo tonnage increased by more than 8% over last year and is up 18% this year. This new facility will increase our handling capabilities and open new doors for all our cargo and logistics partners to ship high-value, temperature- and time-sensitive products through DFW.”

DFW handles freighters from carriers such as AirBridgeCargo, Air China Cargo, Asiana Cargo, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific Cargo, China Airlines Cargo, EVA Air Cargo, Korean Air Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo, Nippon Cargo Airlines, Qatar Airways Cargo and Singapore Airlines Cargo. It is also the primary hub of American Airlines.

“Dallas Fort Worth is a natural choice for us to further develop AirLogistix USA ‘middle mile’ on-airport perishables handling services,” said Ray Brimble, president and CEO of Lynxs Group, which owns AirLogistix USA. “The DFW gateway has the advantage of being located in the central US, which helped drive our expansion into North Texas. We look forward to working with all airlines that serve DFW. Our facility will be available to distributors and forwarders who need to keep their perishable and temperature-sensitive goods cool during shipping, with particular emphasis on transit through the airport. We are ready to get started at DFW.”