The relaunch includes several enhancements that benefit its customers and streamlines the handling of different categories of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products, including animal healthcare items that fall under the umbrella of Pharma.
“In less than a decade, Qatar Airways Cargo has grown to become an acknowledged carrier of choice when it comes to pharmaceutical products,” says Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways. “Since we first launched our pharma service in 2014, we have invested heavily to bring on board the best industry experts, equipment, and training. We have also proactively involved ourselves in leading industry working groups to keep a finger on the pulse of this ever-evolving market.”
From the current offering of two sub-categories, the cargo carrier now offers five product sub-categories – Pharma Critical Advanced, Pharma Critical Passive, Pharma Advanced, Pharma Passive and Pharma Care.
The airline has also introduced a two-tier temperature-controlled system for its 90 approved pharma stations to provide more information and transparency to its customers. This enhancement helps in differentiating between the distinct capabilities available at various stations.
Active container milestone updates have also been introduced to regularly inform customers on the status of their shipments moving within these containers.
Miguel Rodríguez, Senior Manager Cargo Products at Qatar Airways, explains: “With ‘Next Generation Pharma’ we are working on evolving product offerings to meet new and anticipated industry needs, and focussing on digitalising processes and activities to increase transparency and provide more real time information to customers. Better visibility means greater assurance, and faster information flows lead to a more agile, collaborative supply chain, enabling decisions based on actual, in-the-moment facts.”
Last year, Qatar Airways Cargo transported over 84,000 tonnes of medical and healthcare shipments across its global network via Doha and its regional hubs in Europe. IATA CEIV Pharma certification was achieved in December 2020, confirming the airline’s and its ground handling partner QAS Cargo’s industry-standard quality performance and handling.