IAG Cargo Meets Diamond Standard for Pharma Transports

The acknowledgment is the result of great efforts put by IAG Cargo into their Constant Climate product. This includes building a team that combines industry experience in both the pharmaceutical and the healthcare sectors. Simultaneously, a Constant Climate Center was built, which features a state-of-the-art dedicated temperature controlled handling facility at IAG Cargo’s home base LHR. This went hand in hand with an improved communication process, enabling customers to monitor the status of their shipments via the internet. Finally, a quality management system was set up for achieving excellence in GDP handling and IAG’s new aircraft like the Boeing 787s or A380s were technically upgraded for meet the quality criteria demanded by the Climate product.  

WDA and GDP licensed
These many efforts begin to pay off. Today (17 December), IAG Cargo said that they have become the worldwide first cargo carrier to be awarded a Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification by a national health agency. Loranne Vella Zahra, Global Quality Assurance Manager at IAG Cargo, comments: “Our network ensures that only authorised pharmaceutical products are distributed safely, and their strength, stability, purity, potency and integrity are maintained throughout. Achieving full GDP status and being granted a WDA is testament to the strong quality system we have in place and the investment we have put in people, equipment, facilities and processes.”

Diamond standard
To Alan Dorling, Global Head of Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences, “the authorisation is testament to the significant investments we have made in our dedicated people and our temperature controlled infrastructure facilities and capabilities, in addition to continuous product development and training to improve our customer experience. It is welcome third party recognition that IAG Cargo has become the diamond standard for the transportation of medicines worldwide and underscores our global leadership in this fast-growing market.”

Expectations are running high
The foreseeable commercial consequences are additional temperature critical shipments transported by IAG Cargo. This, because accredited GDP/WDA shippers will select carriers that possess a GDP/WDA license over those that do not. In the words of IAG Cargo this is a significant competitive advantage for all time and temperature critical biz originating, terminating or transshipping through the carrier’s own network.

Heiner Siegmund