Qatar Airways Cargo optimises transportation of perishables

The new services, Q Pharma and Q Fresh, will add to the company’s substantial range of cargo services and further enhance its capacity and flexibility to effectively move sensitive commodities in line with the highest world-class standards.

Q Pharma, which is an air freight service for pharmaceutical and healthcare products, offers both active and passive solutions. The Active solution provides temperature controlled containers which are 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.

“By investing in sophisticated technology and a team of highly qualified staff, Qatar Airways Cargo enables healthcare companies and their logistic partners to ship temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals all over the world while maintaining the integrity and quality of their products throughout the supply chain,” stated Ulrich Ogiermann, chief cargo officer at Qatar Airways.

Forecasts released this year by the leading healthcare magazine, Pharmaceutical Commerce, indicate that 11.7% of the overall $64 billion global pharma logistics spend for 2013 was dedicated to temperature management during transport. With increased global regulation and stricter guidelines on pharmaceutical distribution, the focus on temperature management of such products continues to gain momentum. The introduction of Q Pharma ensures that Qatar Airways Cargo stays on top of these worldwide developments.

The second new service, Q Fresh, is designed for the shipment of perishable products requiring temperature control during transit. Designated airside temperature controlled areas keep shipments at the correct temperature prior to aircraft departure, while a dedicated team actively ensure a seamless movement of perishables to and from the aircraft.

“The innovative Q fresh solutions maintains all types of perishables at the optimal temperature from arrival at their origin airport through to their final destination, thus preserving their high quality and extending their shelf life,” added Ogiermann.

In the Middle East, it is estimated that fresh produce imports reached 4.1% from total world imports in 2012, valued at $ 4.2 billion. GCC alone shared 54% of total imports to the Middle East, worth $2.2 billion. Q Fresh will not only enable Qatar Airways Cargo to further enhance the supply chain of perishables regionally but also to its 40-over freighter destinations worldwide.

Qatar Airways Cargo offers the fastest airline transfer at Doha through its Quick Ramp Transfer (QRT) solution. It is the only carrier in the Middle East to offer refrigerated or ‘reefer’ truck services for ramp transfers at its home hub. Sensitive commodities are collected from and delivered directly to the aircraft by specialised temperature controlled vehicles, to help ensure that the cool chain process is seamless, thereby eliminating risk to temperature exposure.

“Air cargo standards for handling time and temperature sensitive commodities such as pharmaceuticals and perishables are becoming more stringent, with stricter guidelines on temperature control. Our thorough understanding of the intricacies involved in safeguarding the integrity of these commodities ensures that Qatar Airways Cargo continues to provide meticulous and uncompromised service standards in line with IATA requirements. Our new fleet of climate controlled vehicles eliminates temperature exclusions and provides a seamless and rapid transfer at our Doha hub,” concluded Ogiermann.

On 1 December 2013, the first Qatar Airways Cargo shipment was received at the new cargo facility at Hamad International Airport. The sprawling, state-of-the-art facility, spanning over 77,000 square metres, contains a perishables storage area, amongst other key facilities such as a live animal centre, and dangerous goods area. Upon full opening in 2015, the new self-containing terminal will handle 1.4 million tonnes of cargo per annum.