New routes offer greater flexibility for booming pharmaceutical trade

IAG Cargo has today announced three new routes on its Latin American network. From summer 2016, the carrier will operate direct flights from London Gatwick to both San Jose, Costa Rica and Lima, Peru. Additionally, on May 15, 2016, IAG Cargo will launch flights from Madrid to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The expanded offering is expected to be particularly beneficial to pharmaceutical shippers, as Latin America is an important high-growth market for this trade.

From April 27, 2016, flights will depart twice a week from London Gatwick to San Jose. The Gatwick – Lima route will depart three times a week from May 4, 2016 and both flights will be serviced by a British Airways B777-200ER, with a maximum cargo payload of 18 tonnes. The Madrid to San Juan service which will operate three times a week, will be serviced by an Iberia Airbus A330-200; offering a cargo payload of up to 15 tonnes per flight. These new developments augment IAG Cargo’s existing routes into these markets, which help to better connect customers to the 350 destinations on IAG Cargo’s global network.

Rodrigo Casal, Regional Commercial Manager Latin America at IAG Cargo, commented: “These new flights will give customers more capacity, flexibility and choice when it comes to shipping goods to Latin America. In May 2016, IAG Cargo will now offer customers a weekly lift of up to 2,700 tonnes into Latin America. There has been no direct air-link between the UK and Lima since 1982 and with our ability to offer direct flights from our two European hubs, we now offer unrivalled flexibility for businesses looking to connect with Peru, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico.”

Peru’s pharmaceuticals market is expected to grow to $3bn by 2024, with a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 6.2%[1]. Costa Rica, meanwhile, will experience the largest increase in pharmaceutical sales over the next ten years, growing from $800mn in 2014 to $2.3bn by 2024[2]. IAG Cargo can support manufacturers looking to enter these markets through Constant Climate, a quality-assured, time- and temperature-sensitive product for the pharmaceuticals sector.