Lufthansa Cargo Opens Pharma Hubs in Munich and Chicago

Lufthansa Cargo has opened the ‘Lufthansa Cargo Pharma Hub’ at Munich Airport after just five months of construction. Around 96 pallets can be handled in various temperature ranges. Another such hub was opened in June in Chicago.

(Munich) After just five months of construction, the new ‘Lufthansa Cargo Pharma Hub Munich’ has been opened at Munich Airport. Covering almost 1,000 square meters and multiple levels, it offers space for up to 96 pallets as well as loose cargo in two different temperature ranges (+2 to +8 °C and +15 to +25 °C) and a cold storage room (down to -18 °C).

“With the new Pharma Hub at our hub in Munich, we have created a state-of-the-art infrastructure for temperature-sensitive cargo that will ensure our customers an even higher quality in the transport of their pharmaceutical shipments in the future. Especially in the context of the Corona pandemic, the relevance of stable supply chains and fast transport of medicines or vaccines has once again been highlighted,” explains Harald Gloy, Lufthansa Cargo Board Member Operations. Alongside him, Ola Hansson, Lufthansa Hub CEO Munich, and Jost Lammers, Chairman of Munich Airport GmbH, were also present at the opening.

Certification in Autumn

CEIV Pharma certification of the new Pharma Hub in Munich by the International Air Transport Association is planned for this coming autumn. This will also be the first Pharma certification of the aviation association at Munich Airport. The certification demonstrates compliance with strict criteria for the proper handling and storage of pharmaceutical shipments as a global standard.

In addition to the new capacities for temperature-sensitive cargo at the southern German freight hub, Lufthansa Cargo is also expanding these in the USA. Just in June, the ‘Lufthansa Cargo Pharma Center Chicago’ was opened at O’Hare Airport. Covering approximately 750 square meters, it accommodates up to 54 pallets and 102 cooling containers on multiple levels in two different temperature ranges (+2 to +8 °C and +15 to 25 °C) as well as in a cold storage room (down to -18 °C).

The majority of the pharmaceutical shipments transported by Lufthansa Cargo are handled at the Frankfurt hub. There, the ‘Lufthansa Cargo Pharma Hub Frankfurt’ was last expanded by two-thirds to 8,000 square meters in 2018. It was certified as one of the world’s first Pharma cooling centers with CEIV Pharma certification. By the end of 2020, Lufthansa Cargo’s global network is expected to include 31 Pharma stations that are CEIV Pharma certified. Additionally, this CEIV network is continuously being expanded.

Photo: © Lufthansa Cargo
www.lufthansa-cargo.com
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