IAG Cargo pharma traffic between the UK and Israel will benefit from an aircraft upgrade on the carrier’s London Heathrow-Tel Aviv route from March 2016.
The carrier is replacing its remaining Airbus A321 with wide-body Boeing 777-200s, which will operate twice daily.
The cargo arm of British Airways and Iberia of Spain said that the bellyhold capacity increase is likely to prove “particularly beneficial” to Israel’s fast-growing time and temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals sector.
Customers will benefit from a daily lift of 29 tonnes, representing a net rise of 2,500 tonnes in summer 2016, an increase of 72% over the like period this year.
Alan Dorling, global head of pharmaceuticals & life sciences at IAG Cargo, commented: “Tel Aviv is a thriving business centre and it’s also one of the most important regions for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.
“Through the additional capacity delivered by the 777-200, we can now offer manufacturers in the region greater lift, helping them, as they look to grow their businesses.”
Israel is a major manufacturer of pharmaceutical products and its total pharmaceuticals market is expected to grow to $2.3bn by 2020, according to a 2014 study by RnRMarketResearch.
IAG Cargo said that its Good Distribution Practice-approved Heathrow hub gives Israeli drug companies access to 106 Constant Climate approved destinations, “including extensive connections to the high-growth pharmaceuticals markets of Latin America”.
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