ETIHAD CARGO: FABRICE PANZA

Fabrice Panza Manager Global Cool Chain Solutions, Commercial GDP Pharma Manager Etihad Cargo

ETIHAD CARGO’S AWARD-WINNING PharmaLife product is dedicated to the safe transportation of pharmaceuticals around the world. In 2022, the carrier has continued to expand its pharmaceutical capabilities and increased PharmaLife revenue by 46 per cent. To meet the requirements for transporting dangerous goods in frozen and deep-frozen conditions, PharmaLife provides premium tailored solutions to handle temperature-controlled conditions from -80 to 25 degrees Celsius via the carrier’s portfolio of leased active and hybrid containers. Etihad Cargo also increased its dry ice capabilities, with its full freighters carrying up to 13 tonnes of dry ice, five times more than previously and one of the largest amounts of dry ice that airlines are permitted to carry. The carrier has also launched improved thermal covers that dramatically increase the protection of pharmaceutical cargo during aircraft loading and offloading. Demonstrating its commitment to rigorous quality systems, Etihad Cargo achieved International Air Transport Association (IATA) Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV)Pharma certification for pharmaceutical and life science logistics in conjunction with its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport and Etihad Airport Services in 2019. This certification proves the carrier’s full compliance with specific pharmaceutical regulations in terms of Good Distribution Practices (GDP), a quality system for warehouses and distribution centres dedicated to medicines.

To further enhance the carrier’s pharmaceutical capabilities and accelerate the transportation of medication globally, Etihad Cargo has entered partnerships that will benefit the global pharma supply chain. As a founding member of the HOPE Consortium, launched in 2020 to provide a complete supply chain solution to address vaccine transport, demand planning, training, medical staff and digital technology infrastructure, Etihad Cargo has played a significant role in transporting over 260 million vaccinations to 60 countries and facilitating endto-end vaccine delivery with the rapid on-ground deployment of medical and logistics experts, medical staff and equipment. Etihad Cargo also signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to support its Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative in 2021, becoming one of only 16 airlines to do so. Under the MoU, Etihad Cargo has assisted in the worldwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, essential medicines, medical devices, and other critical supplies to respond to the pandemic, managing all requirements through its dedicated COVID-19 Workforce.

As part of the carrier’s continued commitment to distributing vaccines in Africa, Etihad Cargo signed the first PharmaLife Interline agreement, entering into a Service Level Agreement with key African airlines to ensure their compliance with latest GDP and IATA Pharma regulations and standards and provide reliable and cost-effective airfreight solutions across Africa. This agreement further positioned Abu Dhabi as a global logistics hub capable of facilitating vaccine distribution to all 54 African nations through four online and 27 offline stations.

Etihad Cargo has also launched initiatives that have brought much-needed transparency, traceability and trackability to the sector, benefiting not only customers but also the global pharma supply chain. The HOPE Consortium, in partnership with Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), Brussels Airport Company and Pharma.Aero, launched Pharma Corridor 2.0 between Brussels and Abu Dhabi. The main objective of Pharma Corridor 2.0 is to provide the highest levels of assurance in the quality of handling to pharmaceutical shippers and forwarders through the establishment of pharma corridors between airports with cargo handling communities certified under the CEIV Pharma programme. These pharma corridors will offer full transparency on the status of temperaturecontrolled pharmaceutical shipments, recording quality, time, temperature, potential deviations and actions. Reliable data, and the ability to freely share this data, will enable every stakeholder to track shipments in real-time and react dynamically as and when required. n