The demand for reliable transportation solutions in the pharmaceutical industry in Austria and in the surrounding Eastern European countries has risen sharply in recent years. The added value of the domestic pharmaceutical industry alone amounts to about EUR 9.6 billion – this corresponds to about 2.8 percent of Austria’s GDP.
“Vienna Airport plays an important role as an export and hub station. Major pharmaceutical producers are located in the catchment area,” Michael Zach, Senior Vice President Ground Handling & Cargo Operations at Vienna Airport, stated. “The industry has a great demand for shipments of high-value pharmaceuticals with excellent handling quality and short lead times.
“The last few years have been characterized by sustained growth. The previous record year of 2022 was again slightly exceeded with 3,675 tonnes in 2023, an increase of 0.3 percent. Pharma handling continued to rise, with 1,825 tonnes or 8.2 percent more handled at the airport in the first half of 2024.”
Ready for demand
As the only airport in Central and Eastern Europe with its own pharmaceutical centre, established in 2018, Vienna Airport offers a complete end-to-end pharmaceutical service, i.e. handling from aircraft to truck and vice versa from a single source. The equipment, i.e. warehouse, handling vehicles and monitoring system, as well as all processes are state of the art.
A direct connection between airside and landside, as well as short distances to the aircraft on the tarmac, ensure fast processes. Mobile refrigeration equipment guarantees safe transport between the air and land sides, for example, special cool trailers and thermos blankets are used. There are also four cool trailers with a temperature range of -20°C to +29°C. These trailers connect the VPHC to the aircraft without temperature deviation.
Vienna Airport also has a strong network of flights to the Middle East, Asia and North America. In addition, the closely timed road feeder network and Vienna’s central location enable fast onward distribution via Europe’s dense road network. Within 36 hours, 23 countries can be reached by road.
“We were thus ideally equipped in Vienna for growing handling volumes, particularly during the COVID pandemic. The miscellaneous goods handled via the VPHC include various human medical products such as plasma and albumin solutions, vaccines, surgical glue and veterinary products,” Zach outlined.
“However, the very high quality of our processes is the same for all pharmaceutical products. At Vienna Airport, we have seen an upturn in all product groups since the start of the pandemic.
“We expect the tonnage of temperature-sensitive cargo at Vienna Airport to increase even further in the future. Due to the speed and the low number of intersections compared to land transport, the aircraft will remain the safest and most reliable transport method for temperature-sensitive goods on an intercontinental scale. We are well prepared for a continuation of the trend towards increasing pharmaceutical transports.”
Adapted operations
Given the sensitivity of these products, the handling and storage of high-value pharmaceuticals at airports presents a number of challenges. These challenges range from maintaining strict temperature controls to ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.
“At Vienna Airport, we have a well-equipped facility (VPHC) and dedicated staff to ensure absolutely reliable and fast handling processes for this sensitive cargo,” Zach outlined.
“The VPHC has extensive monitoring sensors for temperature, humidity, CO2, air pressure and CCTV to ensure seamless monitoring and documentation of the handled medicines along the entire cold chain, including the refrigerated trailers and the outside area. The data can also be made available to our customers on request.
“The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of Vienna Airport are based on guidelines and the requirements of individual customers and comply with the relevant international Good Distribution Practice (GDP) to ensure the safe handling of high-quality medicines and vaccines.
“These SOPs are regularly updated based on customer feedback and new regulatory requirements. To maintain its high standards, Vienna Airport conducts regular audits and compliance checks of its pharma handling processes. These checks ensure that all protocols are followed and that the airport remains compliant with international regulations and standards.”
