IAG Cargo has unveiled its new emergency shipment service, Critical. The premium service, which launches on 3 October, will provide the airfreight market with an emergency product that ensures critical shipments are both intensely monitored and guaranteed to fly.

Critical will become IAG Cargo’s first major non-off loadable product, providing shipments with an absolute guarantee to fly on the service booked. The product is bespoke to the emergency shipment market, exclusively designed for time urgent shipments which often have significant cost implications if they don’t arrive on time.

Several businesses have already signed up to the carrier’s new product ranging from aerospace to high tech sectors. These, as well as many other industries have complex global footprints that cannot afford to incur delays or standstill. On the rare occasion that a key drill bit fails offshore in Nigeria, or a Boeing 777-200 engine requires an emergency spare part in Brazil; Critical will be available to guarantee that a new drill from Stavanger in Norway or a new fan blade from the UK is dispatched and delivered on-time, IAG said. It added that this will enable global industries to minimise downtime costs and continue operations.

“We understand the pressure our freight forwarders and supply chain partners come under when a customer demands that a shipment must move that day” commented David Shepherd, commercial director at IAG Cargo. “Until now we have not had a product that fully satisfies this unique need, with short cut off times and non-off loadable status, we can now meet the exact demands for shipments that simply must fly”.

Critical is available across IAG Cargo’s entire network of over 350 destinations, offering guaranteed capacity up to the maximum aircraft operating limit, and a dedicated monitoring service through hubs at London Heathrow, Madrid and Dublin. Customers shipping through the carrier’s Heathrow and Madrid hubs will also benefit from a dedicated Critical check-in desk, significantly speeding up drop off and collection times.