Qatar Airways Cargo has signed a lease agreement for temperature-controlled pharma containers with SkyCell.
The airline said the addition of the temperature-controlled hybrid containers will provide its customers with the choice of a "wide range of containers in which to transport their pharmaceuticals".
Qatar Airways’ chief officer cargo, Guillaume Halleux, said: “The logistics around pharmaceutical transportation is complex and being at the forefront of time and temperature sensitive transportation, we understand the intricacies of a seamless cool chain.
"Through this agreement with SkyCell, we are glad to expand our container offering under QR Pharma and present customers with more options to transport their sensitive products. The hybrid container establishes an entirely new product offering for our clients that is both safe and sustainable for our businesses and the planet."
Chiara Venuti, director of business development and airline partnerships at SkyCell added: “The co-operation will meet the growing demand for hybrid containers as safe and sustainable pharma solutions for sensitive and critical drugs such as vaccines.”
SkyCell said its containers are 100% recyclable and can charge independently of an external power supply, without the requirement of dry ice and manual intervention. The hybrid containers are IoT (‘Internet of Things’) enabled, "meaning that their temperature conditions are monitored as they move around the globe".
SkyCell claims the containers can maintain steady temperatures for up to 202 hours and self-recharge automatically in a cooling chamber or reefer truck.
