Israel’s national airline EL AL and DoKaSch Temperature Solutions have signed a master rental agreement for the usage of Opticooler active containers, as the airline looks to support the pharma industry with an efficient and reliable cold chain service

Thanks to the new solution, El Al can now offer another option to safely transport temperature-sensitive products to and from its headquarters at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on the bellyhold of its passenger fleet as well as on dedicated cargo aircraft.

DoKaSch said the pharmaceutical industry plays an important role in Israel’s economy with some of the world’s largest manufacturers based in the country.

Moshe Popovich, pharma manager at EL AL Cargo, considers pharmaceuticals to be the fastest growing market segment in the air cargo industry but temperature fluctuations during transport can pose a serious threat to the integrity of these sensitive products.

Given the reliance of Israel on sea and air freight solutions, DoKaSch believes the agreement will open up further possibilities for the pharma market to ship their temperature-sensitive goods to and from the country.

“Israel is a competitive and rapidly developing market that has become a key area for multinational companies,” noted Dor Saidof, global marketing manager and business development manager for Israel at DoKaSch.

“Air transport plays a vital role here since no freight is transported out of the country by road or rail. In a country with a hot climate like Israel, it is essential that the packaging solution can reliably protect the sensitive goods,” he added.

El Al currently serves 42 destinations, including New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Bangkok, Johannesburg, and major European cities. It also has agreements with leading airlines and freight forwarding companies in various continents.