Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has been awarded Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) in pharmaceutical logistics by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The Texan airport adopted the community approach for the certification process by assembling logistics partners specialised in ground handling, trucking, cold storage/warehousing and freight forwarding.
The certification for the logistics partners involved training, pre-validation assessment, audit and validation. The founding members of the CEIV community are dnata cargo USA, SCL Cold Chain, B.I.G. Logistics and Expeditors.
John Ackerman, executive vice president of global strategy and development at DFW Airport says: “The collective efforts of our partners to earn the CEIV Community certification demonstrates DFW’s level of commitment to a world-class pharmaceutical handling operation that provides pharma manufacturers and shippers with confidence that their high-value products will be handled with quality, care and efficiency.”
The airport’s cold chain facility operates 24/7 with capabilities for pharmaceutical freight. The 37,000 square foot space has two pharma chambers, three multi-temperature zones and a 15,000 square foot area for airside refrigeration. Additional features include a refrigerated dock with truck doors, dry cargo space and a certified customs screening facility for imports and exports.
Glyn Hughes, global head of cargo at IATA says: “We applaud DFW for its commitment to building a CEIV Pharma community through which it has met the industry’s global quality standards that ensure pharma products will be handled in a safe and reliable manner.”
