IAG Cargo has today announced plans to enhance its operations in the Middle East. From winter 2016, the carrier will separate its current Abu Dhabi and Muscat service into two flights, and will also split its Bahrain and Doha service.  These four separate services will inject an additional 83 per cent capacity for IAG into the region.

Flights to Muscat will operate five times a week, while services to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Doha will operate on a daily basis.

The next generation B787-9 will serve the Abu Dhabi route offering a number of benefits to businesses. These include a larger hold and a state-of-the-art air conditioning system, which maintains a regular hold temperature to within one degree’s accuracy. A B777-200 will serve the Bahrain, Doha and Muscat routes, offering customers a cargo payload of up to 20 tonnes per flight.

With positive economic growth, the United Arab Emirates has seen a 3.6 per cent increase in GDP, presenting an opportunity to serve growing businesses in the UAE and the wider Middle Eastern region.

Camilo Garcia, head of sales, at IAG Cargo commented: “With Bahrain making significant efforts to diversify its economy, and Doha benefitting from investments ahead of the 2022 football world cup, this network expansion comes at a time of growing demand into and out of Middle Eastern markets.

“The additional capacity to Bahrain, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Muscat will be welcomed by our customers, offering them greater opportunity and flexibility to connect to over 350 destinations across our network.”