Air France KLM Martinair Cargo has upgraded its perishables centre at Paris-Charles de Gaulle with an automated handling system, the carrier group's latest investment in temperature-sensitive freight capacity at its main hub.

The project equips the CDG perishables facility with mechanised handling equipment, replacing manual processes for goods such as fresh produce, flowers, seafood and pharmaceuticals. Air France KLM Martinair Cargo — the freight arm of the Franco-Dutch group, operating both belly capacity on passenger aircraft and the Martinair freighter fleet — has not yet published throughput figures for the upgraded centre.

Why automate a perishables centre?

Perishables are the cargo segment where minutes matter most. Cold-chain cargo (goods kept within a strict temperature range from shipper to consignee) loses commercial value rapidly when it sits on a dock. An automated system moves pallets and containers between storage, build-up and breakdown positions without manual forklift cycles, which cuts dwell time and reduces temperature excursions.

For a carrier group, that translates into two things: a stronger service product for forwarders booking perishables, and better use of fixed facility footprint at a slot-constrained hub. CDG is Air France's primary cargo gateway, so any efficiency gain there propagates across the group's network, including freighter connections and trucked feeder flows from across Europe.

What does this change for shippers and forwarders?

The practical question is whether the upgrade shortens the window between freighter or belly arrival and cold-store insertion. Automation typically delivers that, because storage and retrieval no longer depend on manual equipment availability at peak arrival banks. The carrier group is positioning the facility to compete for high-yield perishables traffic — a segment where Amsterdam Schiphol, Frankfurt and Liège have all invested in dedicated cool-chain infrastructure.

The upgrade also fits a broader pattern. Cargo handlers across Europe are mechanising terminal operations to counter labour shortages and rising wage costs, and perishables — with their tolerance for neither delay nor rough handling — are the natural first candidate for automation.

Air France KLM Martinair Cargo has not disclosed the supplier of the new system, the investment amount, or a commissioning date beyond confirming the upgrade is under way at the CDG centre. Those details will determine how quickly the efficiency gains reach customers' invoices and transit-time commitments.

Further announcements on capacity and performance figures for the upgraded centre are expected as the system enters full operation.