‘Cargo terminals must have adequate storage facilities for time-sensitive shipments’

Vipin Vohra, Chairman Continental Carriers says, “Indian airport terminals have been working to enhance their infrastructure and capacity to handle pharmaceuticals. Many pharmaceuticals are highly sensitive to temperature variations. Maintaining a requisite temperature throughout the transportation process, especially during air transit, is crucial to prevent degradation or loss of efficacy. Packaging and Labelling are vital to protect pharmaceutical products from damage and ensure their integrity during air transit. Inadequate packaging or labelling can lead to product spoilage, contamination, or loss. Some pharmaceutical products have a limited shelf life or require timely delivery to meet patient needs. Delays in air transportation can result in product expiration or stockouts, impacting patient care and causing financial losses for pharmaceutical companies. Addressing these pain points requires collaboration between pharmaceutical companies, logistics providers, and airlines, to implement robust quality management systems, advanced tracking technologies, and specialized packaging solutions tailored to the unique requirements of pharmaceutical transportation by air. With the increasing importance of the pharmaceutical industry, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, airports in India have been focusing on improving their cold storage facilities and distribution networks for pharmaceutical products. Many airports in India, including major ones like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru etc, have dedicated pharma zones equipped with state-of-the-art cold storage facilities and temperature-controlled warehouses to handle sensitive pharmaceutical shipments. Overall, while there might still be room for improvement, Indian airport terminals have been making strides in enhancing their infrastructure and capacity to store and distribute pharmaceutical products.”