Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) received the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA’s) CEIV-Pharma certification at its Brussels cargo station, marking the first of its European cargo stations to gain the certification.
WFS estimates that its pharmaceutical handling in Brussels increased by 170 percent during 2016, and is on track to be even higher in 2017, with volumes through October surpassing 3,000 tonnes. To keep up with the growing volumes, WFS installed two new dedicated pharma cells in its main Brussels warehouse – for storage temperatures between +2°C and +25°C – and is adopting handling and training procedures specifically for pharma cargo.
Other WFS cargo stations across the company’s network are currently in the process of certification for either Good Distribution Practices (GDP) or CEIV-Pharma. WFS is also adding new facilities in Paris, Milan and Copenhagen. The company’s executive vice president of cargo for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, added, “Delivering further improvements to our pharma-handling services at major stations is one of our key areas of focus, and this will continue in 2018 with investments and GDP or CEIV certifications at more of our locations with high pharma volumes.”