Dubai-based Emirates SkyCargo has introduced pharma corridors offering additional protection across selected stations in its network for pharmaceutical cargo and may in future offer dedicated pharma flights.

The carrier is working with ground handling partners and other stakeholders at multiple cities across its global network  to ensure that handling operations for pharmaceuticals at these stations are uniform and comply with stringent norms for pharma transport as well as either EU Good Distribution Practices (GDP) or IATA Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) pharma guidelines.

The first 12 pharma corridors are spread across three continents and include Amsterdam, Brussels, Bengaluru, Cairo, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Milan, Rome, Shanghai and Singapore. Further cities are expected to be added over the course of the year.

 

Nabil Sultan, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president Cargo 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 on board our aircraft, but right from the point the cargo gets dropped off at the origin airport until it is collected at the destination airport. We are also actively exploring the roll out of dedicated pharma flights across our network."