Air Canada Cargo revamps London Heathrow facility

Air Canada Cargo has unveiled a renewed customer reception area at its London Heathrow Airport facility.

The reception area is the first part of a wider project to modernise many parts of its London facility, which is Air Canada Cargo’s largest European hub.

The revitalised reception area in this self-handled facility provides a new customer area to receive trucked shipments.

Incorporating many design elements found in Air Canada’s premium offerings at airports, the London Heathrow cargo customer reception area includes a living wall featuring three types of locally-sourced mosses that help purify the air in the reception area, reflecting Air Canada’s sustainability efforts.

The new space also includes improved workstations for Air Canada Cargo customer service agents to better serve clients.

“This improvement to our London Heathrow facility is the first of many investments in both customer-facing areas and our operations. The new space better represents the Air Canada Cargo brand and is a clear sign of the airline’s commitment to London as a hub facility as it continues strategically expanding the business,” said John Lloyd, senior director – Europe, Middle East and India for Air Canada Cargo.

The London renovations are the latest of several major Air Canada Cargo investments in 2022. These include an expansion of its facilities in Frankfurt and the signing of a long-term lease in Vancouver that will see Air Canada Cargo more than double its space at its trans-Pacific hub.

The new Vancouver facility is expected to come on-line in early 2024, coinciding with the arrival of Air Canada Cargo’s first Boeing 777 freighter.

In 2022, the arrival of two additional freighters allowed Air Canada Cargo to begin serving new destinations, including Dallas, Atlanta, and Bogota. Two factory-build 767 freighters were also acquired in 2022 and are expected to enter service in 2023.

Air Canada Cargo also inaugurated its new cold chain facility at its global hub at Toronto-Pearson as an integral part of a multi-year modernisation programme at the facility.

It introduced temperature controlled Releye containers, part of the AC Absolute solution, for transporting pharmaceuticals, and began offering specialised equine transport services on its freighters.

Air Canada Cargo said it continues to invest in new technologies and has entered strategic arrangements with several web-based booking platforms that allow customers greater access to available capacity on its aircraft.