Miami International Airport (MIA) has welcomed pharmaceutical experts from across the industry to discuss its pharma hub designation and best practices transportation, among other topics.
The experts discussed Miami’s designation as a pharma hub, best practices for transportation, current and projected demand for bio-pharmaceuticals, and the future impact on local businesses. In November 2015, Miami was designated the first pharmaceutical freight hub in the US and the second in the world after Brussels Airport, by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The value of pharmaceuticals transported through Miami has increased by 79 per cent to $3.3 billion between 2010 and 2014.
Airport operator Miami-Dade Aviation director, Emilio Gonzalez says: “This workshop was a great opportunity to educate the community about our booming pharmaceuticals freight business. As the busiest US airport for international freight, perishable imports and temperature-controlled products, MIA has been at the epicentre of this developing trend and is poised for even more growth.”
The Beacon Council president and chief executive officer, Larry Williams says: “MIA’s designation as a pharmaceutical freight hub will be the catalyst for growing pharma manufacturing and distribution in Miami-Dade County.”
“Our ability to safely and securely transport pharma products to market underscores Miami’s competitive advantage with our trade and logistics infrastructure, foreign trade zone network and strong life sciences and aviation sectors.”
The seminar was attended by representatives from MIA, The Beacon Council, HTDA, IATA, American Airlines Cargo, Brinks Global Services, LAN Cargo and the University of Miami Health System.