• Airports as Ecosystem Leaders: Modern airports are evolving from infrastructure providers to orchestrators of integrated cold chain ecosystems, ensuring compliance, predictability, and supply chain resilience. 
•  Decentralised Infrastructure Critical: Tier-2 and tier-3 airports must be equipped with cold chain capabilities to reduce congestion, support regional trade, and accommodate e-commerce and pharma growth. 
• Digital Integration Drives Efficiency: IoT, blockchain, and AI-enabled systems in cargo terminals are essential for real-time monitoring, regulatory compliance, and minimizing spoilage. 
•  Policy and Regulatory Harmonisation Needed: Cross-border alignment of customs, health, and trade standards is crucial to maintain temperature integrity and enable seamless pharma and perishables logistics. 
•  Sustainability and Trade Compliance: Airports must adopt energy-efficient and low-carbon cold chain practices to meet global carbon regulations, safeguard market access, and enhance competitiveness. 

Airports are no longer passive gateways in the air cargo supply chain. Increasingly, they are repositioning themselves as central nodes in global cold chain logistics, with direct implications for trade competitiveness, regulatory compliance, and sustainability. For industries such as pharmaceuticals and perishables, where even minor deviations in temperature can lead to significant financial and human costs, airports are becoming the determining factor in whether supply chains deliver efficiency and trust—or fall short. 

The shift from airports being service providers to becoming orchestrators of entire ecosystems is now unmistakable. Expert speakers stressed that future growth in air cargo cold chains will depend less on isolated excellence and more on airports’ ability to enforce standards, digitise operations, and integrate with policy frameworks across trade and health. 

Airports as the new strategic nerve centres 

Pharmaceuticals and perishables already account for an estimated one-fifth of global air cargo value, and that share is expected to grow as e-commerce and healthcare supply chains expand into emerging markets. Yet cold chain inefficiencies remain a global challenge, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimating that up to 20% of temperature-sensitive products are compromised during transport due to breaks in the cold chain. 

“Airports can no longer be passive infrastructure providers—they must act as orchestrators,” observed Amritendu Mukherjee, Global Head of Logistics at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. For the pharmaceutical industry, the issue goes beyond balance sheets: “A delay or temperature deviation is not just a financial loss but can impact patient lives. That requires airports to deliver predictability and end-to-end transparency.” 

This framing underscores the strategic role of airports in maintaining both economic and public health resilience. As trade flows diversify across the Global South, the question is no longer whether airports should act as cold chain anchors, but how quickly they can adapt. 

Standardisation as a policy priority 

One of the panel’s strongest themes was the inconsistency of cold chain standards across regions. Manish Agnihothri, CEO of WFS Bengaluru Pvt. Ltd., cautioned that despite industry progress, harmonisation remains limited. “Even today, we see inconsistencies in how perishables and pharma are handled between airports. Certification frameworks like CEIV Pharma have created benchmarks, but adoption is uneven. What the industry needs is convergence—not isolated excellence.” 

Agnihothri noted that airports are uniquely positioned to enforce uniformity, ensuring ground handlers, customs, and airlines adhere to standard operating procedures. For policymakers, this creates an opportunity: embedding compliance obligations directly within airport licensing and regulatory frameworks could create a baseline for cold chain integrity across multiple jurisdictions. 

Airlines and the connectivity imperative 

The interdependence between airlines and airports was highlighted as a defining feature of modern cold chains. Mark Sutch, Head of International Development and CCO Cargo at IndiGo, stressed that capacity alone cannot sustain growth. “India’s pharma exports crossed USD 27 billion last year. That growth cannot be sustained without airport ecosystems capable of handling volume with precision,” he said. 

Sutch added that secondary and tertiary airports will be decisive in shaping the future of cold chain logistics. “The next wave of cold chain expansion will come from tier-2 and tier-3 airports. With e-commerce, perishables, and vaccines flowing into smaller cities, these airports must be equipped with modern facilities, not treated as afterthoughts.” 

The point reflects a wider policy concern: India’s air cargo throughput is still heavily concentrated in a handful of metropolitan hubs. Unless decentralised cold chain infrastructure is developed, congestion risks and regional inequalities will persist.  

Cargo terminals: From storage to value-added nodes 

Beyond connectivity, cargo terminals are evolving into value-added nodes that integrate data, automation, and compliance. Pramod Pereira, General Manager at Cargo Service Center India, noted that infrastructure without digital capability is insufficient. “Our focus is on real-time visibility and digital integration. IoT-enabled sensors, blockchain for documentation, and predictive analytics are no longer optional—they are essential to prevent spoilage, reduce dwell times, and reassure shippers.” 

He added that returns on digital investments are often faster than on physical expansion. “Cold storage capacity is important, but without live data on temperature and humidity, you cannot guarantee compliance. The future of airport cargo terminals lies in combining hard infrastructure with smart technologies.” 

For policymakers, this raises questions about incentives. Should trade policy frameworks provide fiscal or regulatory support for digital-first cold chain investments, given their potential to reduce waste and strengthen global competitiveness? 

 Gaps in Policy and Infrastructure Investment 

While industry innovation is moving forward, structural gaps remain. Airports in the Global South often struggle with fragmented regulatory environments, weak multimodal integration, and high logistics costs. According to the World Bank, logistics costs in India stand at around 14% of GDP, compared to 8–10% in OECD economies. 

Mukherjee emphasised the need for policy convergence. “Pharma logistics cannot be managed in silos. A vaccine exported from India to Africa will pass through multiple regimes. Harmonisation of customs clearance, packaging requirements, and temperature standards is essential.” 

The challenge is not unique to India. Across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, exporters of perishables face similar barriers—ranging from inadequate cold storage at regional airports to lengthy customs procedures that undermine temperature integrity. 

Sustainability pressures: Anticipating global regulation 

Another recurring theme was sustainability. Cold chain operations are energy-intensive, with refrigeration, storage, and handling consuming substantial resources. As carbon accounting becomes embedded in global trade through mechanisms such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), airports and operators in the Global South face indirect compliance pressures. 

Mukherjee warned that sustainability is not an optional add-on. “Cold chain must embed greener practices now. Whether through solar-powered cold storage or energy-efficient handling equipment, the industry will be judged not only on efficiency but also on its environmental footprint.” 

This has policy implications beyond aviation. Trade ministries in exporting nations must anticipate how carbon-based trade barriers could affect agricultural and pharmaceutical exports. Aligning airport infrastructure with sustainability standards could therefore be as much a trade policy necessity as an environmental one. 

Policy takeaways 

From the discussion, several takeaways emerged for regulators, airport operators, and trade policymakers: 

• Airports as Orchestrators: Airports must evolve from infrastructure providers to ecosystem leaders, ensuring adherence to cold chain standards across all actors. 

• Tier-2 and Tier-3 Infrastructure: Decentralised cold chain facilities at smaller airports are essential to reducing congestion and enabling inclusive trade. 

• Digital Integration: Policy support for IoT, blockchain, and AI adoption will be critical in guaranteeing transparency and compliance. 

• Regulatory Convergence: Harmonisation of customs, health, and trade policies is necessary to facilitate seamless pharma and perishables logistics across borders. 

• Sustainability Alignment: Airports and operators in the Global South must prepare for carbon-related trade measures that could influence market access. 

From infrastructure to influence 

The transformation of airports into cold chain anchors reflects a broader shift in global trade logistics. They are no longer just gateways; they are becoming centres of influence that determine whether supply chains remain competitive, compliant, and sustainable. 

For pharmaceuticals, perishables, and other high-value cargo, the credibility of entire supply chains now rests on the ability of airports to deliver predictability, digital transparency, and resilience. As Mukherjee concluded, “Airports are the anchors of trust. If they get the cold chain right, the rest of the supply chain follows.”