Düsseldorf Airport Cargo GmbH (FDCG) has been granted Center of Excellence of Independent Validators (CEIV) Pharma validation by IATA. The airport operator becomes the first company in Germany to gain the trade association’s approval for its safe and stringent handling of these highly sensitive products.
Gerton Hulsman, CEO of the airport’s freight subsidiary, explained: “IATA’s standards, which are set for high-quality transport of pharmaceutical products, will become the global model in the long run. That’s why there was no question that we would put those guidelines directly into practice.
“After all, an optimal transportation route is our top priority – for the benefit of our clients and their products. The CEIV certificate, which we now hold as the first airport in Germany, attests to it,” Hulsman added.
FDCG opened its DUS Pharma Center (DPC), which sits in a total area of 800 square meters, in the summer of last year. It incorporates a total of 23 temperature-controlled cold rooms whose temperature is regulated between 2 and 25 degrees Celsius. All the rooms benefit from modern, computer-controlled measuring and control devices such that their temperatures can be adjusted individually according to particular product requirements prior to the arrival of a shipment. A sensitive acoustic and visual alarm system provides alerts should any temperature deviations occur.
However, no less important for the competent and secure handling of highly-sensitive pharma shipments are the development, implementation and monitoring of the required operational processes. Therefore, all workers at Düsseldorf who handle pharmaceutical products are specifically trained in the prevailing regulatory environment and quality management, as well as all the operational aspects of handling. Processes and documentation comply with the related IATA standards, which include international guidelines such as the EU’s Good Distribution Practice Regulations (GDP).
Many pharmaceutical companies are headquartered in the North-Rhine Westphalia region around Düsseldorf, including Bayer AG, Grünenthal and chemical supplier Lanxess. Many of their products are shipped by air cargo through Düsseldorf.
FDCG handles about 100,000 tons of airfreight each year. The share of pharmaceutical products – ranging from basic pharmaceutical ingredients (often imports) to ready-made medications such as insulin (usually exports) – in the total has grown steadily since 2008. And the trend continues upward.
