ACW 7th September 20 by Azura International

GLOBAL A

MANAGEMENT

WORLD ACW Digital is sponsored by AIRPORTS.COM FREIGHTERS.COM

FREIGH

FRE

Tabloid page bled.indd 1

06/07/2020 16:55

The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals No. 1,097

7 September 2020

COVID-19 vaccine airfreight special

ARE YOU A WACA 2020 WINNER?

IN next week’s issue of Air Cargo Week, we will announce the winners of ACW’s World Air Cargo Awards 2020 (WACA 2020). Are you on the winner’s rostrum? Following cancellation of the air cargo China 2020 event in Shang-

hai this June, it became necessary to also cancel the Air Cargo Week World Air Cargo Awards Gala Dinner, scheduled to take place at the same time. Whilst this was very much regretted it was clearly impossible to proceed with such a major gathering while a significant health risk still remained. Don’t forget, nominations for the 2021 event will be opening in October.

SONOCO THERMOSAFE AND ACL AIRSHOP INK MAJOR GLOBAL ULD AGREEMENT

onoco ThermoSafe and ACL Airshop, a leader in cargo support equipment and logistics solutions for over 200 of the world’s airlines and air cargo carriers, announced a global agreement for the handling and repair of Sonoco ThermoSafe’s Pegasus ULD bulk temperature controlled containers. The Pegasus ULD is the world’s first passive bulk temperature-controlled container for pharmaceutical use that is an approved unit load device, which allows it to speed through existing international ground handling and customs processes at the lowest possible cost. Engineered with composite materials, the unit load device will offer a lighter solution more damage-resistant than traditional metal containers. Additionally, the Pegasus contains a fully integrated, FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approved telemetry system, providing real-time, cloud-based data on payload and ambient temperature and key environmental factors, precisely synchronised with GPS location. ACL Airshop, headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina and with air cargo support capabilities at over 50 of the world’s top 100 cargo airports, will initially provide pre-conditioning, handling and repair services at air cargo facilities around the world representing

Pages 5-7

INSIDE GEODIS OFFERS NEW B2C SERVICE

TO provide European consumers with reliable delivery at an affordable price from North America, GEODIS is launching a new, guaranteed ... PAGE 2

SWISSPORT €500M RESTRUCTURE

SWISSPORT has agreed to a comprehensive restructuring with creditors and shareholders including a debt-for-equity swap ... PAGE 2 AEI TO PROVIDE KF AEROSPACE

key pharma hubs for import and export. As demand for the Pegasus ULD fleet continues to grow, ACL’s global footprint offers Sonoco ThermoSafe the opportunity to rapidly expand. “Sonoco has topped the list of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies in the packaging sector for three consecutive years. Its reputation for quality perfectly aligns with our own high standards for service delivery,” said Wes Tucker, executive VP and COO for ACL Airshop. “This partnership will enhance our services array for our airlines and air cargo customers around the globe, and

we are pleased to provide our customers with an innovative solution for the transportation of vital and life-saving pharmaceutical products.” Christopher Day, director of marketing and innovation for Sonoco ThermoSafe said: “We are delighted to partner with a high-quality and service-oriented ULD handling and repair specialist such as ACL Airshop, with its impressive global network. “This agreement accelerates the adoption of the Pegasus ULD across the worldwide air freight marketplace during the world’s most dire need for pharmaceutical distribution.

AERONAUTICAL Engineers, Inc. (AEI) has inked a deal providing Canadian-based KF Aerospace with its fourth B737-400SF freighter ... PAGE 4

SCOOT MODIFIES A320

THERE has been a severe decline in the volume of bellyhold space available for cargo during the pandemic. To make up the ... PAGE 4

aircargoweek.com

Menzies welcomes Qatar Airways Cargo to LHR

enzies Aviation, the global aviation logistics specialist, today announces that Qatar Airways Cargo have moved into their new base within Menzies Aviation’s on-airport facilities at London Heathrow Airport. The move is the result of a new longterm agreement struck in July between the two companies for Menzies to provide cargo handling, freighter aircraft handling and cargo transportation to and from aircraft. The warehouse capacity for the handling of the passenger and freighter cargo exceeds 7,000 sq m and is the largest dedicated warehouse capacity solution ever provided by Menzies at Heathrow. The Menzies team welcoming Qatar Airways includes more than 60 new joiners who’ve transferred from their previous handling company. Robert Fordree, Menzies Aviation executive vice president, cargo, commented: “We’re delighted to have everything ready to welcome Qatar Airways Cargo to their new home at Heathrow. The warehouse and reception area have just been refurbished to provide a dedicated reception area and operations office. “It’s good to have some positive job news to talk about with the transfer across of so many employees. We’ve given them a big welcome with a full induction programme designed to introduce them to our business and support them too. The feedback from the team has been very positive and we’re all looking forward to a successful working partnership.”

LOT’s capital connection LOT Polish Airlines has resumed its route between Vilnius and London City Airport. The international airline returns to London’s most central airport with twice-daily flights to and from the Lithuanian capital, starting on Monday 31st August 2020. The route resumes after suspension during travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Richard Hill, London City Airport’s chief commercical officer, commented: “It’s great to welcome back LOT Polish Airlines to London City Airport and I’m pleased to see another important connection between two European capital cities restored.”

ACW 7 SEPTEMBER 2020

Swissport agrees comprehensive €500 million restructuring deal

wissport has agreed to a comprehensive restructuring with creditors and shareholders including a debt-for-equity swap and a new €500 million long-term debt facility. The restructuring will deliver a significant deleveraging for the company. Swissport has also finalised the €300 million additional interim facility following the announcement on August 21 2020 of an agreement in principle. Swissport has now entered into binding agreements on a comprehensive restructuring and refinancing (Lock-Up Agreement) and on a €300 million super senior interim debt facility (Interim Facility). “Today’s binding agreements secure Swissport’s long-term future. We are pleased that a consensual deal has been reached with a majority of our creditors and our current shareholder,” says Eric Born, group president and CEO of Swissport International AG. “The restructuring, and the robust financial platform it brings, will enable us to confidently trade through the market recovery and positions Swissport as the first choice partner for airlines around the globe.” Peter Waller, CFO of Swissport

International AG, added: “Swissport is one of the first companies globally to agree to a restructuring following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. “With much lower debt and €500 million additional cash injected, we will be well positioned going forward to invest into the business and accelerate growth. “We expect to see increased outsourcing of ground handling services by airlines and being able to take volumes from some financially weaker competitors.” Swissport has entered into the Lock-Up Agreement with an ad hoc group of senior secured creditors (AHG), lenders under Swissport’s PIK facility (PIK Lend-

ers) and certain affiliates of the HNA Group, the current shareholder of Swissport (HNA). The AHG is comprised of SVP Global, Apollo Global Management, TowerBrook Capital Partners, Ares Management, Barclays Bank, Cross Ocean Partners and King Street Capital Management. Under the terms of the Lock-Up Agreement, Swissport will shortly be launching an M&A process to run in parallel with other restructuring steps as customary in such situations. Absent any qualifying third-party bid, the senior secured creditors will own substantially all the equity of Swissport, with the seven institutions of the AHG con-

GEODIS offers new B2C intercontinental delivery TO provide European consumers with reliable delivery at an affordable price from North America, GEODIS is launching a new, guaranteed 4-to-6-day B2C delivery service from the United States to 27 European countries for companies seeking to develop their international online sales. Although more and more web users are now visiting commercial websites located abroad, they often abandon their purchase halfway through the process due to high shipping costs, delivery times seen as too long, Customs fees and taxes that are not revealed until after payment or even the lack of a clear return policy. To overcome these hurdles, GEODIS is launching “GEODIS MyParcel”, a direct-to-customer intercontinental delivery service with guaranteed delivery times at a lower cost. “With the explosive growth of international e-Commerce, our customers want to offer consumers a premium ser-

vice at a completely transparent price,” explains Manoj Pankaj, vice president cross-border e-Commerce of GEODIS. This new end-to-end servic will initially ship small packages from

aircargoweek.com

the United States to the end consumer in 27 European countries within 4 to 6 days. The service is to be progressively expanded globally. It includes validation of delivery addresses and merchandise HS codes1, a tax and Customs duty calculator (displayed throughout the payment process), as well as an option to reschedule delivery, and shipment tracking at all key stages. With GEODIS MyParcel, GEODIS provides brands with a simple, innovative way to launch or increase their E-commerce sales on a global scale. “We are helping them to develop to their full potential in new markets by strengthening their international field of action.” says Ashwani Nath, global head of e-Channel solutions of GEODIS. “In the coming months we will be adding new geographical areas, both in terms of destinations and countries of origin as part of our global e-Commerce strategy,” he said.

trolling more than 75%. The Lock-Up Agreement further provides for a conversion into equity of all existing super senior and senior secured debt, the extinguishment of all senior unsecured and all junior debt at corporate level, as well as the provision of a new €500 million four-year debt facility. The new €500 million facility will refinance the €300 million Interim Facility and will give Swissport the resources to invest into the business, drive operational improvements and to accelerate growth globally. The financial restructuring is expected to be completed in late 2020. HNA will share in the value creation of Swissport post-restructuring contingent on a future exit valuation. The PIK Lenders will have a 2.5% equity stake and warrants. Swissport and the AHG have also entered into binding documentation for a €300 million super senior interim facility. This additional financing complements the more than €200 million of liquidity Swissport still currently has on its balance sheet and provides Swissport with ample liquidity to trade through the COVID-19 pandemic and to facilitate the restructuring process.

Reinhold joins Leipzig/Halle and Dresden airports PR

ON 1 September 2020, Thomas Reinhold became senior vice president communications and public affairs for Leipzig/Halle and Dresden airports, reporting directly to CEO Götz Ahmelmann. He has substantial experience in corporate communications, management consulting and high-quality journalism. Ahmelmann says: “It is our great pleasure to bring Thomas Reinhold on board as a manager for the airports in Leipzig/Halle and Dresden. He will consolidate communications at our sites even more strongly and expand the scope of political communications.”

Tabloid page bled.indd 1

21/08/2020 11:27

Scoot modifies A320 to boost capacity and capabilities

here has been a severe decline in the volume of bellyhold space available for cargo during the pandemic. To make up the shortfall and maintain global supply chains during the pandemic, Scoot has operated hundreds of cargo flights using passenger aircraft. Now, to better serve cities with smaller airports, Scoot has modified one of its A320ceo aircraft (9V-TAZ) to carry cargo in the cabin by removing all seats, doubling its cargo-carrying capacity to nearly 20 tonnes. The four-day modification of the aircraft included the removal of passenger seats, installation of placards to demarcate areas

UPS set for expansion at Kansas City International

he City of Kansas City, Missouri Aviation Department has now approved lease agreements to allow UPS to expand and modernise its express package sorting capacity at Kansas City International Airport. With city council approval, the Aviation Department extended the lease with Aeroterm another 30 years, which provides its tenant UPS the opportunity to significantly expand its operation at the airport. UPS also anticipates hiring about 60 new employees to help sort packages once the project is complete. The expansion includes a 53,400 sq m aircraft apron with enough space to simultaneously park five wide-body cargo jets and a complete renovation of the existing 5,000 sq m sorting facility. New state-of-the-art sorting equipment will increase package handling capacity from 1,500 to 5,000 packages per hour.

Bee Logistics charter AN-124 BEE Logistics of Vietnam has recently handled many air charter flights to Europe and Australia but are “pleased” to share a most special flight of an Antonov-124. The cargo was handled by Bee Logistics from India to Vietnam by chartered AN-124 aircraft, Mumbai to Cam Ranh (BOM-CXR). They co-ordinated with all parties to meet the requirements of the customer on time. Sandy at Bee Logistics comments: “Although COVID-19 is a big issue in both countries, our teams did their best to safely and successfully complete all supervision, customs clearance and deliver the shipment to the job site at night.”

ACW 7 SEPTEMBER 2020

where cargo can be placed, and the uplift of additional fire extinguishers. For flights operated with this aircraft, there will be a minimum of two pilots and two cabin crew on board. All pilots and cabin crew are trained regularly to identify hazards and handle various emergencies, including situations involving smoke, fumes or fire. The first cargo charter flight by the modified 9V-TAZ took off on August 22 2020 from Fuzhou to Singapore, making Scoot one of the first airlines in Southeast Asia to operate cargo charters with such modified aircraft. The air-

craft transported a total of 13 tonnes of cargo in both the bellyhold and cabin, comprising mainly goods for daily use, and has four more flights scheduled for the rest of August. Another A320ceo aircraft is scheduled to undergo similar modification works this week. In March, Scoot started operating bellyhold cargo charters using its B787-9 widebody passenger aircraft. In May 2020, after obtaining the necessary approvals, Scoot had also started operating cargo charters using its A320 narrowbody aircraft, as well as began loading cargo in the

AEI to provide KF Aerospace with 4th B737-400SF AERONAUTICAL Engineers, Inc. (AEI) has inked a deal providing Canadian-based KF Aerospace with its fourth B737-400SF freighter conversion. This news follows a prior announcement in April of this year regarding an order for three B737-400SFs. The fourth aircraft (MSN 26280) is scheduled to commence modification in December 2020. All modification touch labour will be performed by KF Aerospace’s Hamilton, Ontario (YMH) facility, and will be the first AEI freighter conversion to be modified at the location. This year, KF Aerospace is celebrating 50 years in business. As a multi-faceted, highly integrated aviation company, KF Aerospace has grown to become Canada’s largest

commercial aircraft maintenance organisation. AEI has a long history with KF Aerospace, beginning with an order for two AEI B727-200SF freighter conversions in 1994. In February 2017, KF Aerospace officially became an authorised AEI Conversion Center and has since accomplished multiple freighter conversions for AEI. The conversion will provide KF Aerospace with a highly flexible Ancra CLS capable of carrying multiple ULD’s including: (10) 88”x125” ULDs in P1 to P10 or (8) 96”x125” in P1 to P10 and (1) 53”x88”x64” Pallet or AEP/AEH or 60.4”x61.5” AKE/LD3 or 61.5”x88”x56”H AYY in P11.

Dimerco saves fees on heavy cargo shipment FREIGHT forwarding specialist Dimerco has moved heavy equipment from Germany to Shenzhen in China, without incurring high storage fees or delays. The shipment including 17 cases of PCB (printed circuit board) manufacturing machines, weighing 70 tonnes, was dispatched from Hirschhorn in Germany with the support

of Dimerco’s German JV company, who worked with partners to ensure seamless shipment, co-ordinating split flights, facilitating Customs and timely delivery to final destination by flatbed truck. A spokesperson for Dimerco explained: “Our partnership with the airlines enabled us to book space for this significantly oversized

cargo and Dimerco followed the flight loading time closely to avoid any delay in pick up. “We continued to monitor the status of the cargo throughout the process as it was split into two shipments on separate flights.” Further potential costs for the client were saved by efficient control of the delivery schedule.

aircargoweek.com

cabin, secured on passenger seats. Campbell Wilson, Scoot’s CEO, said: “With many passenger aircraft sitting idle due to the pandemic, Scoot started operating cargo charters to carry essential supplies as an alternative revenue stream. “Since then, we have been growing our cargo capacity and capabilities to remain competitive while providing more value for our customers. The modification works carried out on 9V-TAZ are our biggest undertaking to date, and we thank the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) for their support in this endeavour with their certification of the modification works.”

EMIRATES has resumed flights for passengers between Birmingham, UK and Dubai International Airport. The inaugural flight landed at BHX at 11:51 BST on September 1, helping reconnect people and businesses in the UK Midlands to the 74 cities currently on Emirates’ growing network.

COVID-19 vaccine airfreight special

PHARMA

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS

When does Celetaria think ABC might handle its first COVID-19 vaccine shipment? “Given that Russia has already made a statement about the readiness of its vaccine, we expect some trial shipments in the nearest future and have some requests into works. The market anticipates most of the vaccine traffic to be generated closer to Q2-Q3 of 2021 when Phase 3 clinical trials are finalised and efficacy, and most importantly, safety of vaccine is guaranteed. As to how much vaccine ABC might handle, it all depends on the volume of each particular shipment and package of vaccines. She said: “For example, some western vaccines contain only one vaccine dose and are less volumetric than Asian version with two vaccine doses in a package. We estimate that we could transport from 650,000 up to 1.2 million vaccines onboard a Boeing 747-8F charter flight with the usage of RAP and RKN containers on both main and lower cargo decks.”

irBridgeCargo has been sharpening its expertise in healthcare transportation ready for COVID-19 vaccine transportation. According to Yulia Celetaria, global director, pharma, AirBridgeCargo Airlines: “We have been sharpening our expertise in healthcare transportation for more than five years within AirBridgeCargo, creating a dedicated temperature-sensitive product to align all the procedures and processes, working closely with customers to get a better vision of their requirements and the best ways we could meet them, certifying our operations across industry standards (IATA CEIV) and some of our stations across standards of a certain service provider (QEP), as well as making sure that our personnel is properly trained and certified. “On top of this, we have wrapped our services into a relevant digital experience with the development of online track and trace, the introduction of sophisticated data loggers to monitor transportation environment and usage of advanced containers capturing all the data and capable of sending it. “As for vaccine transportation, all the stakeholders are on alert mode right now. Carriers are making sure they have enough capacity, certified personnel, dedicated containers (RAP or RKN) for temperature-sensitive shipments, working with cargo handlers to guarantee all special facilities are in place and operating. Freight forwarders are checking on the capacity availability with air carriers and strengthening their dedicated healthcare teams. Cargo handlers across the globe prepare for sufficient volumes of vaccines and screen over their cargo facilities and personnel preparedness. The major players of this process – ULD providers of special temperature-sensitive containers – are also working hard to bring together an essential pool of containers for vaccine transportation. From our side, we are in constant dialogue with our trusted partners, Envirotainer, SkyCell, va-Q-tec, DoKaSch, CSafe, Sonoco and others.”

A political factor

COVID-19 vaccine is becoming more a political factor, with major economics of the world being involved into production of their versions. Celetaria says: “From what we see right now, the first biggest contributors could be China, Russia, UK, and USA. First we will see domestic outburst to be followed by emerging volumes to other countries, based on political agreements for vaccine ordering. Brazil, Argentina, India, some countries of Africa might be among the first nations to get the vaccines, and thus, stimulate vaccine traffic there.” A decade ago, pharma was a commodity traffic but has now become a highly sophisticated traffic. “We have more than once mentioned that pharmaceutical products are becoming more sophisticated these days and set high requirements for transportation to guarantee their cold-chain integrity,” said Celetaria. “This was also the reason pharmaceutical producers did not view airfreight as acceptable mode of transportation since it was not price-wise. Now, with strict temperature-control being of paramount importance, air cargo is one of the most popular delivery options. In order to be among viable cargo carriers for pharma shipments, we have come a long way and we are still working hard to bring excellence to this process.” Whether a COVID-19 vaccine product will be very valuable or inexpensive, is yet to be seen. “It all depends on the population income of each particular country. Novartis says their vaccine will be around $19, which is acceptable for developed nations, but rather expensive for people from developing nations with lower wages. Some countries promise to have free vaccines for certain classes of population, which are on the frontline with higher chances to catch the virus, medical personnel, teaching staff, sales staff and many others,” she said.

Close to normal

If the COVID-19 vaccine will create any problems with handling it or normal procedures will be OK is also yet to be seen. She considered that there might be some excitement in the beginning as vaccine emergence coincides with high cargo season; however with all the correct procedures in place she is sure that the situation will be close to normal.

aircargoweek.com

ACW 7 SEPTEMBER 2020

PHARMA

COVID-19 vaccine airfreight special

Air France KLM Martinair Cargo ready

ir France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP Cargo) has formed a taskforce to define what steps need to be taken to help ship Covid-19 vaccines. Working in close consultation with the pharma industry and related forwarders, AFKLMP Cargo has assessed specific requirements for shipping Covid-19 vaccines. The airline subsequently adapted its operation in terms of equipment and dedicated monitoring and service, as well as the capacity offered. Enrica Calonghi, global head of pharmaceutical logistics at AFKLMP Cargo said: “AFKLMP Cargo is ready to play a key role in the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, thereby helping to

ensure that as many people as possible around the globe will have access to vaccines in these challenging times.”

5500 cargo-only flights

Since the start of the crisis, AFKLMP Cargo has gradually rebuilt a network mainly for relief-related shipments. In recent months, it has constantly added new destinations and flights to our network, mainly operating on a cargo-only basis. Passenger aircraft have been used for cargo charter purposes and the fullfreighter fleet has been extensively used. Since the start of the pandemic, AFKLMP

Cargo has operated more than 5500 cargo-only flights.

Shipping pharma

In recent years, AFKLMP Cargo continuously improved pharma and healthcare-related services by improving processes, training staff and forming dedicated service teams for pharma customers. Investment in infrastructure at both hubs, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol, has been made. Booking and service options have been merged via a digital portal myCargo, offering the transparency customers need.

TIACA and Pharma.Aero join forces to prepare for COVID-19 vaccine

he International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) and Pharma.Aero have joined forces to develop global guidance for the air cargo industry to enable optimal transportation of the COVID-19 vaccine. The guidance will be developed gradually in four work packages through a joint working group. As pharmaceutical companies race to develop the COVID-19 vaccine, it is still unclear what impact this vaccine will have on the global supply chain, specifically, logistics requirements and the air cargo industry. To address these concerns, the joint working group will bring to the table all the key industry stakeholders, including pharmaceutical manufacturers and logistics businesses. The aim of this programme is to provide the air cargo industry with more clarity of the demands, expectations and quality supply chain requirements, including but not restricted to critical trade lanes, air cargo capacity, handling and storage, track and trace requirements, for the transportation of the vaccines. At the same time, shippers will gain more understanding about the capabilities of the various logistics players. This will ensure that once the vaccine is available in

ACW 7 SEPTEMBER 2020

GertJan Roelands, SVP of sales and distribution at AFKLMP Cargo said: “Shipping pharma and other medical-related goods is one of our core activities and a strategic priority. From the start, we prioritised pharma commercially and operationally. “At AFKLMP Cargo, we have a department that is fully dedicated to pharma and healthcare solutions. With this in mind, Air France and KLM were among the first airlines to obtain IATA CEIV certification.” The investment in pharma logistics is paying off and AFKLMP Cargo’s share in the pharma segment has grown significantly in recent years and months, says the airline.

aircargoweek.com

the market, the air cargo industry will be ready to respond to the needs of the shippers and transport vaccines in optimal conditions to all corners of the globe. “COVID-19 vaccine delivery will be one of the biggest logistical challenges in modern history. No one company can own the end-to-end vaccine supply chain,” said Neel Jones Shah, TIACA board member and global head of airfreight at Flexport. “I’m proud to be a member of the TIACA and Pharma.Aero working group, which is doing the critical work of connecting all vaccine supply chain stakeholders to foster effective communication and collaboration. We need to start working together now to ensure the industry is prepared when the time comes.” “Setting up reliable end-to-end air transportation for pharma shippers is part of the vision and mission of Pharma.Aero. Amongst our members such as life sciences and pharmaceutical shippers, certified airport communities and air cargo operators, we have a track record of project-based collaboration,” says Nathan De Valck, chairman of Pharma.Aero. “As a result, Pharma. Aero is well-positioned to make a valuable contribution in preparing the air cargo industry for this immense challenge.”

TRADEFINDER Airlines Turkey

Cargolux preparing for high volumes of vaccine traffic

argolux is a member of the IATA Time and Temperature Working Group, led by Franco Nanna, director global logistics services at Cargolux, and the Cool Chain Association, chaired by Stavros Evangelakakis, pharma specialist at Cargolux. The current standards and requirements are likely to become increasingly demanding as the industry is now preparing for high volumes expected if a COVID19 vaccine becomes available on the market. In line with the rest of the industry, Cargolux is now preparing for an upcoming vaccine transportation that could create shockwaves throughout the supply chain. Analyses are underway to determine the feasibility of transporting such high volumes and the requirements to do so within a restricted time frame. The entire supply chain, from shippers, to Customs, handling agents, and carriers, are working together to ensure fast and quality delivery is available when required. Cargolux will stand ready to take up the challenge and has a dedicated product, CV pharma, to handle time-critical and highly sensitive pharma shipments. This was devised to ensure constant temperature levels throughout the handling process, to minimise any risk of alteration for the product, and ensure customer satisfaction.

Vital supplies

Transporting products that aim to improve global health and well-being is an important responsibility and Cargolux is strongly dedicated to ensuring vital supplies are delivered where they are most needed. Each pharmaceutical product has its own requirements and specificities which is why Cargolux strives to deliver solutions designed to meet each shipment’s particular needs. Cool chain experts ensure the best solution is found, drawing on extensive experience and know-how.

07_07 Sept 2020.indd 1

Cargolux carefully analysed its capabilities both on ground and in the air to provide seamless pharmaceutical handling. An aircraft thermal mapping, the first assessment of this kind worldwide, was launched to accurately define the aircraft’s air conditioning performance. In addition, together with Dupont, the airline developed a thermal cover to enhance temperature stability throughout the transport. At home base in Luxembourg, Cargolux also benefits from a dedicated Healthcare Center, specially designed to meet the requirements of pharmaceutical shipments. The entire supply chain has invested considerably to ensure the best possible handling of these sensitive commodities. Shipper pre-requisites are increasingly stringent and these requirements become a baseline for Cargolux’s high standards. The all-cargo carrier fosters an open dialogue with its customers and has signed up with major suppliers to offer the full spectrum of service from booking to delivery. To allow for additional peace of mind, Cargolux has the capability to deliver first class active and passive containers and protection solutions directly to customers’ premises upon request. Cargolux’s fleet of Boeing 747-400 and 747-8 freighters offer four independently controlled temperature zones that allow for the transportation of different types of commodities on the same flight with constant temperatures within each zone. In order to provide transparency and peace of mind to its clients, Cargolux also conducted an extensive network-wide lane risk assessment. It has also signed up to Validaide, a cloud-based platform that provides customers with an overview of GHA capabilities at both origin and destination. An interactive map comprising this information is also made available on Cargolux’s website. Cargolux also offers forwarding solutions on its vast network of Road Feeder Services to ensure shipments are handled in the best possible conditions throughout the supply chain.

aircargoweek.com

GSSAs

Charters

United Arab Emirates

Netherlands

azfreight.com Premium Listings

ACW 7 September 2020

7 03/09/2020 11:48

Tabloid page bled.indd 1

13/08/2020 12:25