The new Pharma Hub of Lufthansa Cargo at Munich Airport has kicked off operations, after completion of its construction period in just five months. The facility offers space for up to 96 pallets and loose cargo in two different temperature ranges (+2 to +8 °C and +15 to +25 °C) and a freezer (down to -18 °C) on almost 1000 square metres and on several levels.
“With the new Pharma-Hub at our hub in Munich, we have created a state-of-the-art infrastructure for temperature-sensitive freight that will guarantee our customers even higher transport quality for their pharma shipments in the future. Particularly in the context of the corona pandemic, the relevance of stable supply chains and fast transport of medicines or vaccines has once again been demonstrated,” explained Harald Gloy, Lufthansa Cargo Board Member Operations.
A CEIV Pharma-certification by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the new pharma hub is planned for this fall. Notably, this will also be the first pharma certification by the aviation association at Munich Airport. As a global standard, the certification demonstrates that the facility meets strict criteria for the proper handling and storage of pharmaceutical shipments.
In addition to the new capacities for temperature-sensitive cargo at the southern German hub, Lufthansa Cargo is also expanding these capacities in the United States. The Lufthansa Cargo Pharma Center at Chicago O’Hare Airport was rolled out in June. Since the middle of the year, the 750 square metre facility has been providing space on several levels for up to 54 pallets and 102 cool containers in two different temperature ranges (+2 to +8 °C and +15 to 25 °C) and in a freezer (down to -18 °C).
Most of the pharmaceutical shipments carried by Lufthansa Cargo are handled at the Frankfurt hub. There, the existing Lufthansa Pharma Hub was last extended by around two-thirds to 8,000 square metres in 2018. It was one of the first Pharma Cool Centres in the world to be IATA CEIV Pharma-certified.
By the end of 2020, Lufthansa Cargo’s worldwide network is expected to comprise 31 CEIV Pharma-certified stations. Additionally, the airline is continuously expanding the CEIV network within its operations.
