TAM Cargo inaugurated its new R$38 million (US$11.6 million) terminal, intended exclusively for domestic cargo. With a total surface area of 15,000 m², the new terminal is the largest owned by LATAM Group in Brazil. Located in the Guarulhos area, on Hélio Smidt Highway, the terminal has been restructured and provides new services that represent a significant improvement, considering that the previous one, also located in the vicinity of the airport, had a total surface area of 9,800 m².

This is the largest and most modern cargo terminal that LATAM Airlines Group owns in Brazil, with a capacity to handle more than 1,000 tonnes of cargo daily. Eleven-metres high, it is the highest owned by the Group in airports around the world.

Among its advantages, the terminal allows for the simultaneous handling of cargo transported by freighters and by passenger aircraft. The facility features 14 entry doors for incoming cargo (with individual scales) and 12 exit doors, all with height-adjustable boarding platforms. Fourteen metal storage platforms, with a capacity of up to 37,800 kg per unit, have been installed in its interior.

Another advantage of the new terminal is that the whole cargo movement process is automated, with an intelligent identification system. Cargo and platforms are labelled and tracked using bar codes, thus allowing for products to be located and retrieved using automated bar-code reading. Another novelty is a large cold-storage chamber, with a total surface area of 900 m³ and 76 rack positions (cargo space), designed to store perishables, including fish and pharmaceuticals.

The number of customer service booths has been increased by 73 per cent and customers will now enjoy more parking capacity, with flexibility to receive all types of vehicles.

The investment in terminal infrastructure started in 2013, with the inauguration of the Cargo Terminal in Manaus and continued in 2014, with Goiânia, Natal and improvements in 19 other terminals. In 2015, apart from the Cargo Terminal at Guarulhos, the Company will complete the works at Uberlândia, Ribeirão Preto and Sorocaba.

TAM Cargo expects to inaugurate the terminals at Galeão, in Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Brasilia and Fortaleza by the end of 2016.