Qatari QA Cargo launches new pharmaceutical service

15 Jan 2015

(MENAFN) Qatar Airways Cargo announced that it will launch twice weekly Airbus 330 freighter services to Basel, Switzerland on January 28, as it commences its “Pharma Express” service this month, the first of its kind in the industry, offering air freight to the pharmaceutical industry worldwide, QNA reported.

The Pharma Express service will link two key pharma origins, Brussels and Basel, which has a large pharmaceutical industry and is home to the headquarters of many major pharmaceutical companies, as well as being the base for Swiss chemical industry, with the extensive Qatar Airways’ network, via Doha, Qatar

Meanwhile, Brussels and the region of Flanders in Belgium, house 146 life science companies with biotech activities, of which 50 are related to healthcare, 46 are active in the bio-based economy and 50 are life science providers, with the Pharma Express expected to be served by the Airbus 330 freighter and will operate from Brussels to Basel with a final stop in Doha.

This service comes after Qatar Airways Cargo launched its QR Pharma in 2014, which is an air freight service for pharmaceutical and healthcare products. QR Pharma offers both, active and passive solutions, with the active solution providing temperature-controlled containers designed to maintain a constant temperature throughout the entire transportation chain, and the passive solution keeps the product within a defined temperature band at all stages of the journey.

‘We are delighted to launch the Pharma Express and our first destination for 2015, Basel, Switzerland. The pharmaceutical industry is witnessing rapid growth each year, and with the rising demand there is the need to ensure that pharmaceuticals and healthcare products are transported with the utmost care while avoiding any temperature fluctuations,” said Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo.