Qatar Airways Cargo has launched additional Pharma Express flights from the pharmaceutical hubs of Basel (EuropAirport) and Brussels Airport to Doha.
Basel and Brussels are both home to the headquarters of major pharma companies, while the Swiss chemical exports are largely shipped out of Basel.
Qatar has added an additional weekly frequency, operating on Fridays, from Basel to Doha starting 3 February, whilst two additional Airbus A330 freighter services from Brussels to Doha on Wednesdays and Saturdays will commence on 15 February.
These newly added frequencies take the cargo carrier’s the total Pharma Express flights to nine per week.
Qatar Airways’ chief Officer cargo, Ulrich Ogiermann says: “Air cargo standards for handling time-and-temperature-sensitive commodities such as pharmaceuticals are becoming more stringent, especially with the stricter guidelines on temperature control requirements.
“At Qatar Airways Cargo, we understand the intricacies involved in safeguarding the integrity of temperature-sensitive commodities during shipment. Therefore, we are committed to offering our customers seamless cool chain air logistics as well as uncompromised service standards compliant with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) requirements.
“Our Pharma Express flights are launched to cater to the rapidly expanding pharmaceutical industry. We are extremely proud to be the only international air cargo carrier to offer dedicated Pharma Express flights to the world’s major pharmaceutical and healthcare industry hubs.”
Pharma Express flights were launched in 2015 and currently operate from pharma hubs of Brussels, Basel, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, transporting more than 30,000 tonnes of pharma a year. These routes are served by A330 freighter aircraft, offering 65 to 68 tonnes of capacity each way.
QR Pharma is the cargo airline’s specialist product developed for pharma and healthcare products. The cargo carrier’s QR Pharma network currently covers 71 destinations worldwide with Ho Chi Minh City and São Paulo added recently.
