IAG Cargo has announced the return of its service from London Heathrow to Rio de Janeiro.

The cargo division of International Airlines Group (IAG) officially restarted the service on 1 December. It will now be run four times per week using a B787 widebody aircraft.

Commenting on the announcement, IAG Cargo’s regional commercial manager for Latin America Rodrigo Casal said: “We are delighted to be restarting regular services to Rio de Janeiro, presenting a positive start to the New Year for our customers. Brazil is an integral part of our global network.

“IAG Cargo will provide a fast and reliable service to two important areas of the Brazilian economy – the automotive and perishables sectors drawing on our extensive experience.”

The restarted connection is expected to be a key supply route for automotive parts into Brazil. The route is also forecast to enable the flow of electronic and e-commerce goods between Europe and South America.