Swiss WorldCargo’s ground handling partner Cargologic has obtained certification as a “Center of Excellence for Independent Validators” (CEIV) from IATA for the handling of pharmaceutical products at Zurich Airport. The certification further assures cool chain integrity to customers throughout Swiss WorldCargo global network, the carrier said.

The Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) was created by IATA to support the air transport industry in complying with pharmaceutical manufacturers’ requirements and what Swiss said are “increasingly challenging owing to global regulatory conditions”.

The industry identified a need to build a network of certified pharmaceutical trade lanes that meet consistent standards and assure product integrity. With the pharmaceutical sector being one of the key driving forces of the Swiss economy, the volumes of pharmaceutical and biotech shipments being transported via Zurich Airport – transfer shipments in particular – is ever-increasing. Swiss WorldCargo said its Zurich ground handling partner Cargologic is continuously investing in the development of a leading-edge technical and operating expertise to better serve the needs of the Swiss pharmaceutical industry.

“Besides the regulatory landscape becoming more and more complex when it comes to the transportation of pharmaceutical products, the industry demands for more and more customised solutions and we believe that with our vertical industry approach and the choice of the right business partners such as Cargologic we are on the right track to meet the needs of the industry,” said Susanne Wellauer, vertical industry manager pharma & healthcare.  “With Cargologic completing the CEIV process, we can now offer pharmaceutical handling excellence at Zurich Hub and meet our customers’ needs for more safety, security, compliance and efficiency.”

Prior to the CEIV Certification, Cargologic was awarded the GDP compliance from Swissmedic (the Swiss drug registration institution) in 2014 and, last April, cold storage facilities were expanded, to meet the quantitative and qualitative capacity requirements for the storage of temperature-sensitive shipments.