Miami International Airport (MIA) is celebrating the development of its pharma community after one airline customer and a ground handler achieved CEIV certification.
On April 19, MIA Pharma Hub partner LATAM Cargo became the first airline in America to receive IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Pharma certification.
Two weeks prior, Swissport Miami became the first cargo handling company at MIA – as well as the first Swissport station in North America – to also earn the CEIV seal.
“MIA’s growth in the pharma air cargo sector has added new opportunities for business revenue and job creation in our community,” said Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos Gimenez. “We look forward to having an even stronger presence in this global industry, which is one of the fastest-growing in the world.”
Miami-Dade aviation director Emilio González added: “As the first airport in the western hemisphere designated by IATA as a pharma hub, and now as home to America’s first airline and first ground handler certified by IATA for pharma transport excellence, we are proud to collaborate with all our hub partners to be the unrivaled pharma gateway of the Americas.
“Pharma trade to and from MIA continues to be a huge growth area for us, most recently surging by 48% in value year over year to $4.4bn in 2016.”
