With the opening of a new climate-controlled station in Bordeaux, France, IAG Cargo has opened its 100th station in its global Constant Climate network, a premium service for time- and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products.
This Bordeaux operation follows the recent opening of stations in strategic locations around the world, including Nairobi, Kenya (NBO); Hong Kong (HKG) and Shanghai Pudong (PVG) in China; and Osaka, Japan (ITM). Stockholm, Sweden, is expected to be the next location, scheduled to open later this month.
“This is a hugely exciting time at IAG Cargo,” said Alan Dorling, the group’s global head of pharmaceuticals and life sciences. “We have rapidly grown our Constant Climate network to its current position to be amongst the best the industry has to offer.”
The pharmaceutical market, Dorling added, is growing at more than 5 percent per year, representing “a huge opportunity” for IAG’s airlines. IAG Cargo was formed in 2011 following the merger of British Airways World Cargo and Iberia Cargo.
Each Constant Climate station must complete a series of training modules and quality audits before being added to the network, Dorling said. After completing these rigorous quality assurance tests, the modules, using active cold-chain technology, can reliably maintain temperature requirements as low as minus-20˚C and as high as 25˚C, regardless of ambient air conditions.
Using passive methods, the Constant Climate modules can also be used to transport pre-packaged, temperature-sensitive materials at a constant temperature range without the need for human intervention.