Turkish Cargo, the freight division of Turkey’s national flag carrier Turkish Airlines, is reported to have carried 30 thousand tonnes of medicines and nearly 10 thousand tonnes of medical equipment between February 01 and August 31, 2020. This has been made possible by its special cargo operations it has been maintaining by building up a global air bridge to boost its capacity to prevent any supply chain disruption and to carry critically important medical freight amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to its wide flight network encompassing the globe, Turkish Cargo has been continuing its special cargo operations uninterruptedly from/to London, Dubai, Amsterdam and Maastricht, in particular. It has been transporting special cargo shipments like pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, dangerous goods, and valuable cargo.
Carrying one of each twenty air cargo carried around the world, Turkish Cargo increased its global market share to 5.4 percent from 3.9 percent by accomplishing a growth by 67 percent within the first half of 2020.
With a rich experience of 30 years in transporting special cargo shipments, Turkish Cargo minimises the risk for healthcare products with a high level of sensitivity by making use of the active temperature-controlled Envirotainer and CSafe containers, the electrical air-conditioning container Opticooler, thermal dollies, and disposable thermal sheets equipped with thermal isolation features. As such, it possesses all of the capabilities required for transporting COVID-19 vaccine all around the world.
It is the first air cargo brand that holds all of the three certificates– the CEIV Pharma, CEIV Fesh, and CEIV Live Animals, issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ensuring protection to the highest standards, supported by its special cargo storage rooms with various temperatures ranges available in its 3,500 sq mt facilities at Istanbul and Ataturk airports.
While the global cargo brand continues to accomplish the storage and operational processes for special cargo shipments in accordance with the Perishable Cargo Regulations (IATA PCR), it efficiently implements the cargo sorting procedures consonant with each other.
In the meantime, Turkish Cargo keeps extending its Qualified Envirotainer Provider Training and Quality Programme (QEP) accreditation in line with industry standards.
The QEP programme recognises air cargo carriers that operate Envirotainer containers in compliance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) for temperature-sensitive cargo. The carrier has received QEP accreditation from Envirotainer at its hub– Istanbul Atatürk Airport, as well as several other stations across its network– Mumbai, Hyderabad, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv and Seoul.
Additional accreditation has been granted at two more stations: Brussels and Atlanta and plans to add to that in line with a special product it has created for freight containing pharmaceutical and healthcare products.
Turkish Cargo flies to more than 300 destinations in 127 countries with the transportation capacity of Turkish Airlines, in addition to its 90 cargo markets. It serves with 24 cargo freighters as well as the fleet of 358 planes of Turkish Airlines from Istanbul hub, which has strategic importance linking the continents.
By 2023, Turkish Cargo aims to operate flights to 120 direct cargo destinations. It continues to be the preferred brand in air cargo transportation by achieving sustainable growth with its infrastructure, operational capabilities, fleet and specialised crew and teams.
