IAG Cargo adds capacity to the US as travel restrictions ease

IAG Cargo will expand cargo capacity to the US as restrictions on travellers entering the country are eased.

The US today re-opened its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from 33 countries if they have a negative Covid test in the 72 hours before travelling.

Travellers will not need to quarantine on entering the US, but the vaccination must be US Food and Drug Administration approved or have been granted an Emergency Use Listing from the World Health Organization (WHO).

From its hubs in Madrid, London and Dublin, customers will initially be able to access 21 destinations, with plans to restart further destinations across the US.

Capacity is being increased to New York, Austin, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, services to Newark are being restarted.

IAG also plans to restart services to Baltimore, Orlando, Tampa and Las Vegas from November 15.

IAG Cargo pointed out that the re-start coincides with peak season for cargo – as Black Friday, Thanksgiving and Christmas e-commerce shipments in particular take hold.

John Cheetham, chief commercial officer at IAG Cargo, said: “We are delighted to see the US open up once again to passengers, and the impact this will have on cargo capacity; the full reopening of the transatlantic travel corridor is a pivotal moment.

“With peak season in full swing, one of our busiest trading lanes is linking US, Europe and UK – this additional capacity will be of great benefit to so many of our customers.

 “IAG Cargo is now serving 21 US destinations and additionally, we’ve added wide-body aircraft within Europe that feeds into our main hubs and onwards to the USA. For example, we’ve added the A380 for peak season to service London and Frankfurt – an important hub for the automotive industry.”