Category Archives: Aviation

Nippon Express Co (Mitsuru Saito, President), has obtained IATA CEIV Pharma pharmaceutical transport quality certification for its Narita Temperature Controlled Hub (NTCH) and for transport operations between NTCH and Narita Airport, effective March 15. This is the second pharmaceutical-related quality certification awarded to NTCH, the first being the Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification it received in March 2020. In October 2019, Nippon Express began seeking certification as a member of the community hosted by Narita International Airport Corporation (NIAC), and with NIAC’s assistance has now obtained certification as a forwarder in this community. The ‘Nippon Express Group Business Plan 2023 – Dynamic Growth’ regards the pharmaceutical industry as a priority industry, and this fiscal year Nippon Express completed construction of four GDP-compliant dedicated pharmaceutical warehouses in Japan (East Japan, West Japan, Kyushu and Toyama) that have begun providing services to customers. The Company is also engaged overseas in obtaining GDP certification and otherwise reinforcing its business infrastructure. NTCH is an important node connecting Japan with the rest of the world, and this certification incorporating GDP standards from countries around the world will enable it to provide more secure and better-quality pharmaceutical transport services end-to-end.

Deutsche Post DHL Group has announced that the company is investing a total of EUR 7 billion over the next 10 years in measures to reduce its CO2 emissions. The funds will be made available towards alternative aviation fuels, the expansion of the zero-emission e-vehicle fleet and climate-neutral buildings. Along the way towards its zero emissions target by 2050, which has already been in force for four years, the company is committing to new, ambitious interim targets. The climate targets are part of Deutsche Post DHL Group’s new sustainability roadmap, in which the company sets out its ESG goals for the next years. In addition to its commitment to the environment, the Group also defines clear targets and measures in the areas of social responsibility and governance. “As the world’s largest logistics company, it is our responsibility to lead the way and guide the logistics industry into a sustainable future. We are turning our yellow Group into a green company and making an important contribution to our planet and society,” says Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group. “I am convinced that by focusing even more on our ESG goals, we will remain the first choice for customers, employees and investors – and thus lay the foundations for long-term economic success.” Appel adds, “Covid-19 has once again reinforced the major megatrends of our time: globalization, digitalization, e-commerce and sustainability – the four drivers of our ‘Strategy 2025’. Of these topics, sustainability is the most pressing challenge. With our sustainability roadmap, we are stepping up our efforts and explicitly promoting the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.”

In a bid to increase its local warehousing capacity at the airport by nearly 50 per cent, Swissport has signed a seven-year lease agreement for the new facilities. The adjacent 8,000 sq m warehouses are part of the Deutsche Logistik Holding‘s ‘SkyLog park Vienna’ in the Fischamend region. The completion of construction work is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year, when operations will move from the existing Cargo Nord Object 10 facility. “The brand-new building will offer ample warehouse and office space right in the center of the industrial zone and increase the warehousing capacity by nearly 50 per cent, allowing Swissport to grow its share in forwarder handling,” the company said in a press release. It is the second major investment in Vienna, following the opening of a warehouse with direct tarmac access in mid-2019. “Despite persisting challenges to global aviation, air cargo volumes have rebounded and again reached 2019 levels. Our business in Vienna has also been developing favorably. We are proud of our committed team there and pleased to announce our new warehouse,” said Henning Dieter, head of Swissport Cargo Services Germany and Austria. “It will support our expansion into forwarder handling and greatly benefit our customers and staff.”

Sonoco ThermoSafe and Unilode Aviation Solutions have announced their partnership for the maintenance, repair and handling of Sonoco ThermoSafe’s passive bulk temperature-controlled containers at several key locations. This cooperation will play an important part in enabling the safe and efficient transport of pharmaceuticals and other temperature-sensitive products around the world. Ron Haub, Segment Director, Sonoco ThermoSafe, said, “Sonoco ThermoSafe is not only driving innovation in temperature-controlled container design with our Pegasus ULD, but our partnership with Unilode provides an innovative solution for the rapid expansion of preparation, handling and repair locations on a global basis. With Unilode, we are pleased to be working with the world’s largest owner/manager of ULDs and their massive airport network, which will accelerate the adoption of the Pegasus ULD during the world’s most demanding need for pharmaceutical distribution.” Marc Groenewegen, Chief Commercial Officer, Unilode, said, “Unilode has stepped up its efforts to broaden its MRO customer portfolio and provide high quality maintenance and repair services to specialised ULD manufacturers and service providers in the pharmaceutical industry, in addition to its core airline market. We are pleased with our new agreement with Sonoco ThermoSafe that leverages Unilode’s global MRO footprint at key airports in the United States, EMEA and APAC region for repair, handling, inspection, cleaning and equipment inventory control services. This partnership will allow both companies to contribute to the global distribution efforts of the Covid-19 vaccines and other pharmaceutical products, which require temperature-controlled containers for the transport in the air cargo supply chain.”

Understanding the need to keep vital supply chains running smoothly, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP) has set up a customer COVID Service Centre dedicated to managing all Covid-19 vaccine shipments. After a successful trial period in a few selected countries, this new 24/7 service is available worldwide. The carrier has launched a new product to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines get the special attention they require. The customised COVID vaccines solution is available for all temperature ranges and container types, and offers a variety of premium features such as highest priority on board, 24/7 dedicated service, monitoring and intervention, and specific security measures. All shipments booked as Customized COVID Vaccines will bear the mandatory special handling code SHL (Save Human Life). “Understandably, at this exceptional time, a great deal of attention is devoted to combating the coronavirus crisis and everything that comes with it, such as the transportation of vaccines. I am grateful that we can make an essential contribution to this,” says, GertJan Roelands, SVP Sales & Distribution AFKLMP Cargo. In recent months, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo has successfully transported millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccines, delivering hope to many destinations around the world. In particular to different countries in South America and Africa. UNICEF’s Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative is now fully underway and AFKLMP is a partner committed to making this crucial mission a success.

In addition to CEIV Pharma certification as an airline, the Lufthansa Cargo Pharma Centers in Munich and Chicago, which opened in summer 2020, recently got CEIV Pharma-certified. After extensive testing, the CEIV Pharma label of the International Air Transport Association also confirms to Lufthansa Cargo in Munich and Chicago the reliable handling and storage of urgent and temperature-sensitive shipments according to the highest international standard. This is also particularly relevant for the transport of highly sensitive COVID-19 vaccines, as these must be transported worldwide and with the utmost reliability. “The latest CEIV Pharma certification of our centers in Munich and Chicago confirms our high competence in handling pharmaceutical products. With the construction of the two new state-of-the-art centers, we have been able to significantly expand our excellent pharma network. Particularly in view of the corona pandemic, these are promising investments for the future. We can offer our customers the global transport of sensitive corona vaccines via two additional certified centers. We are pleased about the official confirmation of our offer by the CEIV Pharma label,” explains Thorsten Braun, Senior Director Industry Development and Product Management at Lufthansa Cargo.

Emirates SkyCargo marked one year of passenger freighter operations on March 16 with more than 27,800 cargo flights on passenger aircraft, commencing just four days after Covid-19 had been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice President – Cargo, Emirates, said, “It has been exactly one year since what was considered impossible in the air cargo industry became not just a reality but a strong operational pillar for Emirates SkyCargo. Prior to the pandemic, nearly two thirds of our total cargo was transported in the bellyhold of our passenger flights. With increasing flight suspensions and restrictions on passenger travel imposed due to Covid-19 in early March 2020, we could foresee a situation where there would no longer be adequate cargo capacity available in the market to transport essential supplies. In order to bolster the cargo capacity offered by our 11 Boeing 777 freighters and make sure that we could meet the urgent demand for goods such as PPE, ventilators and other pharmaceutical goods and food supplies from across the world, we proactively made a radical and innovative plan to utilise our wide-body passenger aircraft to operate cargo only flights. We trialled this passenger freighter concept with a flight to Kuwait on March 16 last year. Over the next few weeks, as regular passenger operations were completely suspended, we started increasing our passenger freighter flights to a point where we had close to 90 passenger aircraft being used for cargo operations.”

Gati-KWE has launched advanced air freight solutions for pharma, electronics and auto ancillaries. The company has also earmarked a budget of Rs 100 crore for infrastructure and technology development in FY21-22. “Our airfreight solutions offer the convenience of nationwide reach with customised solutions, smooth connectivity and tie-ups with leading commercial airlines in the country. We have an aggressive expansion plan, targeting robust growth of 30 per cent Y-o-Y by FY22 with the airfreight business contributing a healthy double digit to the topline. We are committed to add value to our customers’ supply chains by providing end-to-end air cargo and multi-modal transport solutions in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner,” said Bala Aghoramurthy, Deputy Managing Director, Gati-KWE. With direct connections to 34 commercial airports across the country and strategic tie-ups with India’s leading airlines, Gati-KWE ensures cargo deliveries within 24-48 hours to almost all key locations. The presence of trained staff ensures that even dangerous goods or hazardous materials (hazmat) are handled efficiently and transported with complete safety and care. Customers rely on Gati-KWE for air freight services with value-added services and customised delivery options like multiple cut-offs, late pick-ups, next day deliveries, and more. Gati-KWE operates Air Transit Centres (ATCs) in eight metro cities across India and is expediting efforts to strategically position some of the ATCs near the airports for facilitating faster and multiple retrievals of cargoes. Two more ATCs proposed to be launched in Chandigarh and Indore can bolster the company’s air freight services even further. In order to facilitate seamless multi-modal cargo transportation across the country, Gati-KWE is set to launch a state-of-the-art 1.5 lakh sq. ft. Surface Transportation Centre (STC) at Delhi in June 2021 and follow …

Confirming the airline’s capabilities for safeguarding the integrity of time and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products from point of origin to destination, Oman Air has been certified IATA Center of Excellence for Independent Validators for Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma). In successfully obtaining the industry-wide standard, the airline now aims to grow its participation as an important carrier for the global bio-pharma industry. Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO, Oman Air, comments, “The certification underpins our capabilities as a global cargo carrier for the quality handling of time and temperature-sensitive healthcare products. This is especially significant during the current COVID crisis, a time when the integrity of vital medications, including vaccines, relies entirely on safe and dependable cold chain expertise both in the air and on the ground. To do so, our customers can benefit from our state-of-the-art facilities at the Muscat International Air Cargo Hub.” Driven by the global biopharma industry, IATA’s CEIV Pharma program encompasses and, often times, supersedes many of the existing standards and guidelines including European Good Distribution Practice, World Health Organization (Annex 5) and United States Pharmacopeia Standards. Obtaining certification demands a high level of commitment from airlines along with exacting standards for pharmaceuticals handling. Oman Air successfully completed a thorough analysis of its business processes and product quality environments, and underwent rigorous evaluation of its pharmaceutical quality management systems, process standards and document review, risk assessments and several internal audits.

Turkish Cargo has delivered 1.7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine supplied by UNICEF from India to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in cooperation with global shipping company Kuehne + Nagel. Apart from the vaccines, the carrier has successfully delivered hundreds of thousands of Covid-19 syringes belonging to UNICEF from Barcelona to Tunisia and Covid-19 vaccines from Amsterdam to Kiev, Tbilisi and Amman. In the past months, Turkish Cargo has delivered China’s Sinovac vaccines to different destinations in the world. The carrier uses its ‘TK Pharma’ product to transport medicines and vaccines to all over the world. Creating a global pharmaceutical corridor among more than 400 destinations in the world, Turkish Cargo reaches more than 300 destinations, 96 of which are direct cargo destinations. With the widest flight network in the world, Turkish Cargo takes an important responsibility in delivering Covid-19 vaccines to the whole world, and continues to cooperate with national and international authorities within the range of struggling the global pandemic.