Mumbai airport joins the Pharma.Aero initiative
02 / 02 / 2017
Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) has joined the Pharma.Aero initiative, becoming the first Indian airport to embark on a community approach for IATA’s Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Pharma certification.
Brussels Airport and MIAL announced their partnership in Pharma.Aero at the Pharma Logistics Summit in Mumbai, inking a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Pharma.Aero, the umbrella organisation initiated by Brussels and Miami airports, was launched officially at the TIACA Air Cargo Forum in Paris in October 2016.
One of the prerequisites for Pharma.Aero membership is a certification and full endorsement of the standards set out in the Pharma CEIV scheme.
Nathan De Valck, chairman of Pharma.Aero, said: “Mumbai Airport will take the co-ordinating role within the Indian subcontinent in bringing the shippers together and creating end-to-end pharma lanes together with us. So the benefit for all participating airports and shippers is that we will collaborate on creating end-to-end certified pharma lanes, sharing best practices in improving the overall handling quality of pharmaceutical shipments.”
Steven Polmans, head of cargo, Brussels Airport Co, said: “In the not too far distance, selective gateways will handle more pharmaceuticals in a better way. Brussels Airport wants to be one of these selective gateways. And I am sure Mumbai Airport shares that desire.”
Manoj Singh, senior vice president and head of cargo at MIAL, said that Pharma.Aero is very different from any other associations, in that it is "more focused on the airports and shippers connecting”.
Singh added: “We believe this will really add value, quality and safety standards in the entire pharma industry. This focused product management will grow leaps and bounds and the airports are going to be informed through shippers what exactly the quality they demand. This will open communication channels among stakeholders of pharma supply chain.”
Other air cargo supply chain stakeholders in Pharma.Aero include Singapore Changi Airport, Sharjah International Airport, Brussels Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Brinks Life Sciences and Johnson & Johnson.
