Emirates’ pharma corridors
Emirates SkyCargo has introduced pharma corridors which aims to offer additional protection across selected stations in its network for pharmaceutical cargo.
The airline is working with ground handling partners and other stakeholders at multiple cities across its global network in order to ensure that handling operations for pharmaceuticals at these stations are uniform and comply with Emirates SkyCargo’s stringent norms for pharma transport as well as with either EU Good Distribution Practices (GDP) or IATA Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) pharma guidelines.
Emirates SkyCargo will therefore be able to provide a supplementary protection of product integrity during transport of temperature sensitive pharmaceutical cargo through these cities.
In 2016, Emirates SkyCargo’s operations at its hub in Dubai including its dual cargo terminals at Dubai International Airport, Dubai World Central and the interconnecting trucking operations were certified as compliant to EU GDP guidelines by Bureau Veritas, Germany. The introduction of pharma corridors with a focus on non-hub handling activities allows it to go one step further for the protection for pharma cargo.
Nabil Sultan, Senior Vice President – Cargo, Emirates SkyCargo, said, “As a customer focused organisation, we have been listening to feedback from stakeholders in the global pharmaceutical industry.”
“We realised that it was essential to work with our partners on the ground at the various stations in order to ensure that pharmaceutical cargo travels under the best conditions not only through our state-of-the-art facilities in Dubai and when onboard our modern aircraft, but right from the point the cargo gets dropped off at the origin airport until it is collected at the destination airport,” he adds.
The airline is also actively exploring the roll out of dedicated pharma flights across the network. “Emirates SkyCargo constantly strives to offer the best solutions for our customers,” Sultan adds.