Brussels aims for pharma first

Brussels airport has launched its pharmaceutical certification process to assess the BRUcargo air freight community against the checklist of sector standards developed by IATA.
The European hub aims to become the world’s first certificated community in IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Handling programme (CEIV Pharma), serving as a pilot project.
At the beginning of this year, Brussels Airport invited the BRUcargo community to join the effort to “upgrade, align and standardise the pharma handling processes” as well as to train industry stakeholders through the entire supply chain on and around the airport.
It has now kicked-off the four month evaluation process for the eleven BRUcargo participating companies, aided an an IATA project team.
“The wide range and diversity of the participants shows the broad interest of the pharma logistics community based at BRUcargo and the commitment to take the pharma handling to a next level,” says Nathan De Valck, Brussels’ pharma and life science logistics expert.
All the different stakeholders involved in the Belgian airport’s cool chain are represented in the pilot group. Airlines: Brussels Airlines Cargo and Finnair Cargo. Handling agents: Aviapartner, Swissport and WFS. Forwarders: AD Handling, BPL, Expeditors, UTi and SDV. Truckers: Jan de Rijk. 
Steven Polmans, head of cargo at the airport, says: “Brussels Airport is aiming to strengthen its position as a leading gateway for the handling and transportation of pharmaceutical freight in Europe.
“We hope that our leadership in being recognized as a CEIV Pharma certified community will persuade other airports to do the same. It is important that cold-chain pharmaceutical products can be transported in a standardized, sanitary and secure way throughout the world.” 
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