The cold logistics sector has experienced significant growth in demand in recent years, both in storage and in the transport of perishable products. According to some organisations in the sector, this has been due to three fundamental factors: the increase in household spending and consumption, the rise of online food commerce and the growth of Spanish imports and exports.

According to data from the Customs and Excise Department of the Ministry of Industry, in 2019, Spanish exports of fresh fruit and vegetables stood at 13.5 million tonnes and 13,542 million euros, with a growth of 8% in volume and 5.5% in value compared to 2018. These figures show Spain as a major exporting power.

At RFL Cargo, which offers customised logistics with specific solutions for each industry, we ship refrigerated and frozen cargo with cold treatment service and full traceability. A way of working, a professionalism that, nowadays, in times of pandemic, is even more valuable.

The emergence of COVID-19

The coronavirus crisis has made cold logistics even more essential. Since the pandemic began, logistics operators serving supermarkets, retail chains and hypermarkets have been subjected to such an intensive work regime that their activity has not only increased, but not decreased.

In addition, the arrival of vaccines against the virus has further increased the vital need for such logistics. And it is proving to be a challenge: the distribution and maintenance of the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine (essential to solve the global health and economic crisis) is a challenge, not only because of the need to transport a historic amount of high-value, time-sensitive health material around the world, but also because unprecedented logistical and transport requirements are necessary for such a large volume. In some cases, we are talking about transport under freezing temperatures of up to -85º.

Aircraft, the most frequently used

Due to the sensitivity of the product, its extremely high value, the need for monitoring and shortening transit times to minimise risks, air transport is currently the most widely used means of transporting vaccines.
According to estimates by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), around 8,000 cargo aircraft with a transport capacity of 100-125 tonnes will need to be dedicated to this activity. This massive transport will place extremely high demands on airports and handling operators, with facilities and procedures that need to be adapted to support this new emerging market.