IAG Cargo’s Constant Climate product recorded a 22% year-on-year increase in tonnage in 2024 as the UK-based company continued to invest in air cargo pharmaceutical supply chains.
The cargo division of International Airlines Group (IAG) said that around 50% of these shipments originated from India and Ireland, two key players in global pharma.
Serving the pharmaceutical, bioscience and healthcare industry, IAG Cargo’s Constant Climate product is a cold chain solution designed specifically for the transportation of pharmaceuticals, such as vaccines, biotech products, diagnostics samples, or any other temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical material.
In recent years IAG Cargo has increased its number of approved Constant Climate stations for temperature-sensitive transport, adding Cincinnati, Cape Town and Strasbourg.
The company's New Premia facility at its London Heathrow headquarters, which includes a Constant Climate Quality Centre (CCQC) for pharmaceuticals, has also helped boost volumes.
Jordan Kohlbeck, head of pharmaceutical at IAG Cargo, said: “The safe, controlled movement of pharmaceuticals is more important than ever due to increasing global demand, medical advances, regulatory requirements, and the undeniable need for rapid response to medical crises.
“As the industry continues to grow, ensuring life-saving medicines and treatments reach patients in optimal condition will become even more important. We at IAG Cargo are committed to providing world-class temperature-controlled solutions and have invested heavily in our people and facilities to ensure we can be trusted to deliver these goods with the greatest care and precision.
“A significant portion of our consignments originate in Ireland and India. Both countries are reporting uplift in pharma exports and we are proud to play our role in supporting and facilitating that growth by providing such goods with a route to market, and ultimately ensuring lifesaving treatments and medicines reach patients who depend on it.”
Data from the International Trade in Goods Division found that Irish exports of medical and pharmaceutical products increased by 48% to to €8,993m in January 2024 compared with January 2023, representing 48% of total exports.
Further, statistics from the Indian Government revealed that its drug and pharmaceutical exports increased from $2.13bn in 2023 to $2.31bn in 2024, commanding approximately 20% of the global pharma supply chain.
IAG Cargo’s 2024 cargo volumes increased 12.6% year on year, but yields were down 5.2% due to global capacity growth and inflated market yields the previous year.
