Swissport, the world’s leading aviation services provider, has launched its first dedicated perishables centre in the United Kingdom at London Heathrow Airport (LHR). The new facility strengthens the company’s global cool-chain network and supports growing demand for fresh Atlantic salmon. Scan Global Logistics is the first customer to operate from the site.
The purpose-built facility, acquired by Swissport in November 2024 to expand perishables handling capacity in the UK, is now operating with Scan Global Logistics as the first partner to establish the dedicated perishables presence on site. Together, the two companies are strengthening capacity, predictability, and handling quality for time- and temperature-sensitive goods, including seafood, fresh produce, and other critical perishables.
“Producers of temperature-sensitive goods depend on predictable capacity and controlled handling, especially as volumes continue to rise,” says Steen Søgaard, RCEO North Europe at Scan Global Logistics. “This setup provides a stable platform that supports both daily operations and long-term growth. Swissport’s global cool-chain expertise and operational scale make them a strong partner for the UK market.”
The new setup responds to growing demand across Northern Europe and beyond, where exporters require stable uplift windows, fast processing, and consistent cold-chain performance.
“Launching our first dedicated perishables centre in the UK and our partnership with Scan Global Logistics marks a significant milestone for Swissport,” says Joe Bellfield, Swissport Chief Operating Officer Cargo UK & Ireland. “Heathrow is a critical gateway for global seafood flows, and perishables require absolute precision. By bringing our proven cool-chain processes, specialised infrastructure and trained teams to Heathrow Airport, we are strengthening the reliability and predictability that exporters depend on.”
Purpose-built infrastructure and technology
The Heathrow facility features temperature-controlled handling areas, operates 24/7, and is purpose-built to meet the stringent requirements of fresh seafood logistics. Covering approximately 2,694 m², the centre is designed to handle up to 30,000 tonnes of perishables per year.
The site also includes a dedicated Border Inspection Post (BIP), enabling immediate airside inspection and clearance of imported goods. This capability supports faster release times, reduces dwell periods and helps protect product integrity for time- and temperature-sensitive shipments.
As part of the ongoing investment in the facility, Swissport will install an EMIS machine in Q1 2026. It is an automated screening solution that allows dense, palletised seafood shipments to be screened without breakdown. Processing fully built units in a single pass, the system reduces handling steps, shortens queue times and ensures a more predictable, consistent flow. For exporters, this means faster processing, improved schedule reliability, and better protection of product quality during peak periods, while fully meeting EU security requirements.
“With this technology, we can move perishables through Heathrow more efficiently and with far greater predictability,” says Colin Wells, Global Head of Perishables at Scan Global Logistics. “It improves processing times while maintaining the highest standards of quality and freshness, and creates a unique and highly reliable solution for which is a high market demand.”
Supporting a critical global seafood gateway
London Heathrow plays a central role in the global seafood supply chain, with an estimated 200,000 tonnes of salmon transiting the airport each year, including Scottish production. As direct uplift from origin becomes increasingly constrained, specialised hub operations with predictable throughput are becoming essential for exporters across Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and the UK.
Farmed Atlantic salmon remains one of the world’s fastest-growing protein categories. Europe and the Americas each consume around 35-40% of global volumes, while industry analysts, including Kontali, project production growth of 15-25% between 2025 and 2030. These trends are driving higher volumes through major hub airports and increasing the need for robust, temperature-controlled handling solutions.
The three-year alliance between Swissport and Scan Global Logistics supports this growth by providing exporters with reliable capacity, controlled handling, and faster processing at one of the world’s most important air cargo hubs.
Part of Swissport’s global cool-chain network
The Heathrow perishables centre becomes part of Swissport’s global network of specialised cargo hubs for temperature-sensitive and time-critical goods, including seafood, fresh produce and pharmaceuticals. Swissport operates 117 cargo centres worldwide, handling around 5 million tonnes of freight annually.
For Scan Global Logistics, the setup strengthens its growing perishables footprint with dedicated infrastructure and enhanced control over seafood flows into and out of the market. For more than 50 years, Scan Global Logistics have delivered goods worldwide and handled temperature-sensitive goods.
Together, the two companies are delivering a more predictable, resilient, and quality-driven solution for global perishables logistics with the new distribution hub – keeping freshness intact from origin to destination.
