A community approach in maintaining pharma shipments

In recent years, the demand for reliable end-to-end transport for pharmaceutical cargo has seen a tremendous rise, bringing to light the lack of reliability and data sharing, that affects the entire supply chain. As with every growing industry, the need for improvements and quality checks becomes ever more apparent with the growing demand. The solution: Pharma.Aero, an independent membership driven association comprised of members from airport communities, pharmaceutical shippers and other cargo logistics stakeholders from around the world.

In 2016, Brussels Airport (BRU) and Miami International Airport (MIA), the first and second International Air Transport Association (IATA) designated pharma hub airports in the world, took on the initiative to create Pharma.Aero – an organisation that would be focused on improving pharma handling and quality in the air cargo industry worldwide.

The worldwide Pharma.Aero platform will enable its members – consisting of airport communities, airline carriers, pharma shippers, and other logistics stakeholders – to foster strong collaboration amongst themselves. By jointly working on innovative regional initiatives, with an emphasis on the IATA CEIV Program, airports and their operators will achieve excellence in reliable end to end transportation for the shippers and patients.

The organisation will bring its visions to life by fostering route certification and development of pharmaceutical trade lanes. Therefore, members of the organisation will be able to share expertise, market knowledge and implement best practices within the entire supply chain (from end-to-end). Furthermore, the association will help organise events, projects, workshops, as well as local and regional shipper forums, that connect CEIV airport communities to the end customers: pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Early adopters

At the launch of the initiative which was held in Paris, Nathan De Valck, Cargo Product Development manager at Brussels Airport and Chairman of Pharma.Aero reiterated, “with the vision to achieve a reliable end-to-end air transport for pharmaceutical cargo, Pharma.Aero will focus on pharmaceutical shippers and all industry stakeholders who embrace the IATA CEIV program. Members of the organisation will foster route certification/development of pharmaceutical trade lanes, implementation of best practices and sharing of market knowledge and expertise”.