Emirates SkyCargo has upgraded its pharma capabilities with a new facility in Chicago, pharma corridors and GDP recertification in Dubai.

The Chicago facility is dedicated solely to pharmaceutical shipments, spread over 1,000 square metres with scope for additional expansion.

It provides protection for pharma cargo through temperature controlled zones for acceptance and delivery, build up and break down, storage and direct ramp access.

Developed in partnership with ground handling company Maestro, the facility has a capacity of 15,000 tonnes per annum for pharma shipments.

Nabil Sultan, divisional senior vice president for Emirates SkyCargo says: “Emirates SkyCargo is committed to the safe and secure transportation of temperature sensitive pharmaceutical shipments. Having a dedicated facility for pharma at one of our busiest stations for pharma in our network is a big boost to our pharma handling credentials and capability.”

The pharma corridor network has been expanded from 12 global stations to 20, working with ground handling partners and other stakeholders to ensure high standards of operations for pharmaceuticals.

Henrik Ambak, senior vice president cargo operations worldwide for Emirates says: “We have been successfully working with our ground handling partners at our major pharma points and the model has met with quite a lot of success and positive feedback from our customers. This has motivated us to replicate the model at more pharma stations thus growing our pharma corridors network to more than 20 stations.”

Emirates SkyCargo’s pharma operations have been recertified as compliant with GDP guidelines, including the trucking operations between Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central.

The airline first received the certificate in 2016, which was revalidated each year, and in 2019 the carrier went through a rigorous audit by Bureau Veritas where facilities and processes were evaluated from the ground up.