IAG Cargo is to start direct services between London’s Heathrow Airport and Nashville with five flights a week from May 2018.

The Boeing 787-8 services will offer a cargo payload of up to 15 tonnes per flight, providing access to IAG Cargo’s 350 destinations across its network.

The Nashville flights will be IAG Cargo’s 24th US gateway and the airline will also offer 10 flights a week to Philadelphia and Phoenix for its 2018 summer schedule, increasing capacity by 34 per cent and 43 per cent respectively.

IAG Cargo commercial director, David Shepherd says: “While we have an excellent number of entry points into the US, particularly on the east and west coasts, Nashville is an important addition for our customers based in the south east of the country.”

“Tennessee has a burgeoning automotive industry and we anticipate that this new capacity will be welcomed by businesses looking to move spare auto parts into Europe and beyond.”