Qatar Airways Cargo is introducing a new service this month, dubbed the “Pharma Express,” that will expedite pharmaceutical cargo from Brussels and Basel to Qatar’s network via the carrier’s Doha hub.
The two European cities are established pharmaceutical manufacturing centers, with Brussels Airport becoming the world’s first Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV Pharma) certified airport last year. Brussels and the surrounding area is home to 146 life sciences and biotechnology companies.
Qatar will link Brussels and Basel – the airline’s first new service city this year – continuing to Doha twice a week. Basel also has a vast pharmaceutical industry as well as chemical industry.
Pharma Express will be serviced by A330Fs. In January 2014, Qatar Airways Cargo launched QR Pharma – an airfreight service for pharmaceutical and healthcare products. QR Pharma offers temperature-controlled containers, designed to maintain a constant temperature throughout the entire transportation chain, keeping the product within a defined temperature band at all stages of the journey.