IAG Cargo has launched a new route to Santiago (Chile) from winter of 2016 and becomes the only carrier to fly direct from Heathrow Airport to Santiago International Airport.
With the new service, IAG will now be able to offer customers a weekly lift of up to 3,360 tonnes into Latin America.
The new service is set to become IAG’s longest direct route and will be served by a British Airways Boeing 787-9 aircraft. With flights operating four times a week to and from Santiago, the new route adds to IAG’s expansion into Latin America.
From summer 2016, IAG will also operate new direct flights from Madrid to San Juan, Puerto Rico and from Gatwick Airport to San Jose (Costa Rica) and Lima (Peru).
IAG’s head of sales, Camilo Garcia says: “This new route adds to our expanding network in Latin America. With perishables and pharmaceutical goods being key export commodities for this region. Our next generation aircraft with temperature control in the hold ensures that our time and temperature sensitive products are delivered in optimum condition for our customers.
”This new development augments IAG Cargo’s existing route into Santiago from Madrid, which helps to better connect our customers to the 350+ destinations on IAG Cargo’s global network.”
In previous years, commodities such as vegetables, fruit and flowers have been key exports from Latin America. In Chile, one of Latin America’s most competitive economies, exports have traditionally included berries, stone fruits, grapes, seeds, fresh fish, wine and minerals; with imports focusing on vehicle parts and computing equipment.
