British Airways World Cargo has today announced that it is the first European airline to be accredited by leading provider of temperature-controlled air cargo containers Envirotainer, the Sweden-based manufacturer of temperature-controlled shipping containers, as a Qualified Envirotainer Provider (QEP) for Constant Climate, its temperature-controlledproduct for pharmaceuticals.

BA’s announcement follows that of American Airlines Cargo in the US which earlier announced it has been awarded accreditation for its cool-chain service ExpediteTCSM.

The QEP programme was specifically developed at the request of shippers of healthcare products. Envirotainer has developed the training and quality program to acknowledge those service providers that have been certified to manage shipments using the Envirotainer container.

Envirotainer, pioneer of the ‘active’ temperature-controlled air cargo container, developed its QEP/CEP Training and Quality Program, following consultation with shippers and in response to industry guidance. The programme is designed to help healthcare companies identify service providers capable of properly managing shipments using Envirotainer containers.

Five British Airways World Cargo Constant Climate stations – London Heathrow, Rome, New York JFK, Tel Aviv and Hyderabad – have now been accredited under the QEP program with plans for future accreditations across all 60 Constant Climate stations, marking the carrier’s long term commitment to ongoingquality management systems.