Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), the world’s largest air cargo handler, is continuing to enhance its ability to handle pharmaceutical cargoes with the opening of a new temperature-controlled facility in Copenhagen.

The investment is in support of WFS’ airline customers’ growing pharma volumes and WFS’ own IATA CEIV Pharma certification programme in Denmark, which it expects to complete in early 2018. The facility has the capacity to store up to 16 cargo units and offers separate temperature chambers offering both 2-8°C and 15-25°C environments. Each lane in the building is also equipped with an electronic rollerbed system to expedite the handling of pharma shipments.

The WFS team in Denmark is also celebrating winning the cargo handling contract for Air India’s new three times weekly Boeing 787 passenger and cargo services linking the country’s capital city with Delhi.

Jimi Daniel Hansen, WFS’ general manager Scandinavia, said: “We are delighted to be handling cargo carried onboard Air India’s new non-stop services between Denmark and India, which offers a direct trade link for exporters and importers in both countries. WFS is also progressing towards its IATA CEIV certification in Denmark with the opening of our new cooler facility to supports our customers’ premium cargo products for temperature-sensitive pharma shipments.”

Earlier this month, Brussels became the first WFS cargo station in Europe to achieve IATA CEIV Pharma certification. WFS is also working towards Good Distribution Practice (GDP) or IATA CEIV Pharma certifications at other major locations across its network, which also includes building new facilities in Paris and Milan. In Brussels, WFS has installed two new dedicated pharma cells in its main warehouse offering 15-25°C and 2-8°C temperature-controlled environments.