It will also offer pharma manufacturers new levels of transparency. The announcement was made during the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Berlin.
The initiative is the brainchild of Schiphol’s Pharma Task Force, launched in July 2015 by Air Cargo Netherlands, the Dutch Air Cargo Industry Association, and supported by a number of organisations at the airport.
The new pharma chain has been branded “Pharma Gateway Amsterdam - Qualified & Transparent”. Its objective is to create a closed pharma chain at the airport, further developing Schiphol’s pharma proposition. Schiphol is already one of Europe’s largest gateways for pharma traffic.
Pharma Gateway Amsterdam aims to support a certified track from the shipper, all the way to the consignee; it will achieve this locally by involving airlines, handlers, hauliers and logistics service providers, all of which will be certified to the IATA CEIV Pharma standard. For imports, this means covering the unloading of aircraft, ramp transfers, first line handling (through the handling agent), transport to the second line (forwarder warehouse) and any handling carried out there, as well as haulage to the consignee or distribution centre. This all-inclusive approach will ensure the integrity of shipments remains intact.
