100-ton Single Flight Pharma Charter from Mumbai-Brasilia
10th September 2018
Qatar Airways Cargo has chartered 100 tonnes of medications from Mumbai to Brasilia for its customer Hermes Travel and Cargo Private Limited. This is one of the largest charter of medicines on a single flight among the several pharma charters performed by the cargo carrier.
The pallets were loaded on a Boeing 777 freighter at Mumbai, which is part of the carrier’s pharma network. Through integrated planning and excellent coordination between all stakeholders involved, the life-saving Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) medications were dispatched to support Brazil’s Ministry of Health’s innovative response to the HIV epidemic. The government of Brazil initiated the implementation of PrEP to prevent new cases of HIV among key higher-risk population groups through 35 sites across the country. The Brazilian programme aims to offer PrEP to 54,000 people within the next five years.
Mr. Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo, said: “Aviation and air cargo plays an important role in saving lives and we are humbled to support this innovative programme. Since the launch of our QR Pharma product, we have been working closely with our customers to enhance the product for the benefit of the final consumer. Our dedicated teams ensure the cool chain is unbroken to preserve the efficacy of all medicines flown on Qatar Airways Cargo.”
QR Pharma, the cargo airline’s specialist product developed for pharmaceuticals and healthcare products, offers active solutions to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the transportation chain, as well as passive solutions, which keep the pharmaceuticals within a defined temperature band during all stages of the journey.
The innovative Climate Control Centre situated at the airside is equipped with segregated temperature-controlled sections for storing pharmaceuticals transiting the hub. It has two zones operating for 2° to 8°C or 15° to 25°C, with a capacity to hold a total of 156 unit loading devices (ULDs) at a time, in addition to the 64 temperature-controlled cells at the cargo terminal’s cold room. The cargo carrier utilises refrigerated vehicles at its hub for all temperature-sensitive cargo, ensuring perfect temperature control. Customers are offered a wide range of active pharma containers such as Envirotainer, CSafe, DoKaSch and va-Q-tec to transport their pharmaceuticals across the cargo carrier’s extensive global network.