Qatar Airways Cargo relaunches its Next Gen Pharma product

Carrier entrusted with more than one in ten global pharmaceutical shipments every year

Qatar Airways Cargo recently announced the relaunch of its Pharma product in line with its Next Generation and VISION 2027 strategy.

The relaunch includes several enhancements that benefit its customers and streamlines the handling of different categories of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products, including animal healthcare items that fall under the umbrella of Pharma.

“In less than a decade, Qatar Airways Cargo has grown to become an acknowledged carrier of choice when it comes to pharmaceutical products,” noted Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo, Qatar Airways.

“Since we first launched our pharma service in 2014, we have invested heavily to bring on board the best industry experts, equipment, and training. We have also proactively involved ourselves in leading industry working groups to keep a finger on the pulse of this ever-evolving market,” he continued.

Product sub-categories

From the current offering of two subcategories, the cargo carrier now offers five product sub-categories – Pharma Critical Advanced, Pharma Critical Passive, Pharma Advanced, Pharma Passive and Pharma Care. These new enhanced categories enable Qatar Airways Cargo to offer customers a diverse range of solutions to transport their healthcare shipments and ensure optimal handling of all cool-chain pharma products transported on its flights.

The airline has also introduced a two-tier system for its 90 approved pharma stations to provide more information and transparency to its customers. This enhancement helps in differentiating between the distinct capabilities available at various stations.

Tier 1 stations offer both +2°C to +8°C & +15°C to +25°C temperature-controlled storage, while having the ability to service electronic containers and dry-ice containers. Tier 2 stations offer only one of the two categories of temperature-controlled storage, handle certain temperaturecontrolled containers, or have limited storage capacity.

Milestone updates

Active container milestone updates have also been introduced to regularly inform customers on the status of their shipments moving within these containers. The updates are sent to pre-configured email addresses inserted in the booking. Important information includes the temperature and battery readings of each unit transporting the shipments.

The airline also considers animal health a top priority and offers comparable solutions through its Pharma product to transport animal healthcare shipments in a safe and efficient manner, all within the customer’s sub-category of choice.

Next Generation Pharma

“With ‘Next Generation Pharma’ we are working on evolving product offerings to meet new and anticipated industry needs and focussing on digitalising processes and activities to increase transparency and provide more real time information to customers. Better visibility means greater assurance, and faster information flows lead to a more agile, collaborative supply chain, enabling decisions based on actual, in-the-moment facts,” explained Miguel Rodríguez, Senior Manager Cargo Products, Qatar Airways.

Last year, Qatar Airways Cargo transported over 84,000 tonnes of medical and healthcare shipments across its global network via Doha and its regional hubs in Europe. IATA CEIV Pharma certification was achieved in December 2020, confirming the capabilities of the airline and its ground handling partner QAS Cargo’s industry-standard quality performance and handling.

Qatar Airways Cargo launches Kigali Africa Hub with RwandAir

QAS Cargo provided consultancy support to RwandAir for its cargo handling processes

AQatar Airways Cargo’s ‘Moved by People’ Boeing 777 freighter recently landed at Kigali International Airport. In the company of local dignitaries, freight forwarders, partners, and customers, Qatar Airways Cargo’s Chief Officer, Guillaume Halleux, and Yvonne Makolo, Chief Executive Officer, RwandAir, officially launched operations at the Kigali Africa Hub.

The Boeing 777 aircraft will fly from Doha to Kigali, twice a week. Since March, Qatar Airways Cargo has created an intra-Africa service between Kigali and Lagos (three times per week), and a weekly service from Istanbul via Doha to Kigali, all operated by an Airbus A310 aircraft. New destinations from Kigali will be announced soon.

“We are proud to partner with RwandAir in establishing Kigali as the Central African hub in preparation for the Next Generation of air cargo on this fast-growing continent,” stated Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo, Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways Cargo currently serves 28 cities in Africa with a mixture of freighter and belly-hold services, carrying up to 2,800 tonnes to and from Africa, the press statement concluded.