Qatar Airways Cargo will launch a twice weekly A330 freighter service to Basel, Switzerland, later this month.
The airline will also commence a ‘Pharma Express’ service in January, linking two key pharma origins, Brussels and Basel, with the Qatar Airways' network via its Middle East hub in Doha.
Basel has a large pharmaceutical industry and is home to the headquarters of many major pharmaceutical companies, while the Swiss chemical industry also operates largely from Basel.
Brussels and the region of Flanders in Belgium, house 146 life science companies with biotech activities, of which 50 are related to healthcare, 46 are active in the bio-based economy and 50 are life science providers.
The Pharma Express route will be served by the A330 freighter and will operate from Brussels to Basel with a final stop in Doha on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Ulrich Ogiermann, Qatar Airways chief officer cargo, said: “The pharmaceutical industry is witnessing rapid growth each year, and with the rising demand there is the need to ensure that pharmaceuticals and healthcare products are transported with the utmost care while avoiding any temperature fluctuations.
“By investing in sophisticated technology and a team of highly qualified staff, Qatar Airways Cargo can now offer healthcare companies and their logistic partners a state-of-the-art service for shipping temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals all over the world, while maintaining the integrity and quality of their products throughout the supply chain.”
In January 2014, Qatar Airways Cargo launched QR Pharma – an air freight service for pharmaceutical and healthcare products. QR Pharma offers both active and passive solutions.
The active solution provides temperature-controlled containers, which are designed to maintain a constant temperature throughout the entire transportation chain, and the passive solution keeps the product within a defined temperature band at all stages of the journey.
Qatar Airways Cargo offers a Quick Ramp Transfer (QRT) at Doha, with refrigerated truck services for ramp transfers at its home hub. Sensitive commodities are collected from and delivered directly to the aircraft by specialised temperature-controlled vehicles, eliminating risk to temperature exposure.
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