The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA) has certified the Opticooler RKN container for German supplier DoKaSch Temperature Solutions.

The FAA approval of the compact RKN container follows the certification of the larger Opticooler RAP container counterpart in the US.

Both containers have already been used for active air cargo transportation on US routes by various non-US airlines. With this FAA approval, every US based airline can now have both DoKaSch TS Opticooler containers technically certified and validated.

Airlines and forwarders in the US can now meet their increasing demand for secure and reliable cold chain solutions for temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. DoKaSch said the first technical approvals are currently in process by US-based airlines.

While the Opticooler RAP offers space for four CP 1 pallets (or five Euro pallets), the recently approved Opticooler RKN holds one CP 1 pallet (or any standard US pallet, up to max. 48 inch x 48 inch). Redundant systems for electrification and full air-conditioning enable precise heating and cooling without dry ice. This means that these containers transport valuable and sensitive pharmaceuticals while avoiding temperature deviations at an extremely high level and with high independence of outside conditions.

Opticoolers are equipped with high-performance batteries and require merely a power socket to be (re-)charged. The can also be utilized as temporary storage units whenever the necessary cooling infrastructure is lacking.

“The FAA’s approval of the Opticooler® RKN has been well received by the US pharma industry, as it can now also choose US-based airlines to utilize the RAP and RKN, depending upon its needs,” stated Andreas Seitz, Managing Director of DoKaSch Temperature Solutions.

“This last gap in serving that market has been closed by DoKaSch TS extending its entire Opticooler fleet to all US-based airlines, enabling them to now also service their home market for international shipment. We are pleased to have both of our containers now fully approved by the relevant bodies.”