Aberdeen Standard Investments’ Airport Industrial Property Unit Trust (AIPUT) fund has signed a pre-let agreement to further expand dnata City East at Heathrow Airport.
The 115,000 sq ft facility has been designed to operate in conjunction with a newly-completed 250,000 sq ft warehouse handling Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Delta Cargo’s airfreight at Heathrow.
The existing building is the largest off-airport pre-let in Heathrow’s history, and subject to planning consent, the new facility will make dnata City East the largest off-site cargo handling operation at the airport.
The proposed facility has been designed to accommodate the operational requirements of dnata and its clients Virgin and Delta.
The two buildings will double the size of the airlines’ joint cargo operations at Heathrow.
It will incorporate the latest carbon reduction initiatives in both its design and operation in line with AIPUT’s Carbon Strategy to future-proof the use and value of the facility, including the use of solar PV panels, air-source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging.
Nick Smith, fund manager of AIPUT says: “This pre-let supports AIPUT’s long-term vision to grow our high-quality air cargo portfolio at Heathrow. Our successful partnership with dnata at dnata City East sets a new benchmark for airport industrial property investment, in terms both of its unprecedented scale and the industry-leading environmental credentials of the buildings.”
Gary Morgan, CEO of dnata UK adds: “Our final phase of dnata City East builds on the multi-million pound investments we have made at the airport in the last five years, cementing our position as a leading cargo services provider in the country. We continue to invest in advanced infrastructure and cutting-edge technologies to deliver the best possible services for our customers.”
