BRU expands pharma-specific DHL services

Brussels Airport is expanding services for pharma and health care-related cargo and is set to play a pivotal role in the expansion of DHL’s airfreight cold chain network, an integral part of the group’s global logistics offering in the segment. “An existing BRU-Cincinnati [CVG] service has become a consistent routing with a 777F, which has optimal temperature-control capabilities, thus reinforcing the network with reliable, controllable capacity for critical health care shipments,” a DHL spokesperson stated in an email to Cargo Facts. [caption id="attachment_57295762" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Unit 66084 wears a special Health Logistics livery. (Courtesy/DHL)[/caption] The flight is operated three times weekly with a 777F flown in CMI service by Kalitta Air. To mark the importance of the health care business, DHL has given one of its 777Fs (66074) a Health Logistics livery, although that aircraft does not exclusively fly between BRU and CVG. At BRU, the route is supported by 45,000 square meters of pharma-dedicated facilities to deliver end-to-end clinical-grade integrity in the BRUcargo zone. DHL’s pharma expansion DHL expects to make dedicated pharma infrastructure investments at CVG, its Ohio hub. “Until then, we are working closely with partners to ensure Good Distribution Practice [GDP]-compliant services to our customers,” the spokesperson said. “End-to-end control” will “reduce the risk of temperature excursions to sensitive pharma cargo,” the spokesperson said. Further expansion of DHL’s airfreight cold chain network focuses on pharma routes in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. Countries prioritized include India, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, the U.S., Germany and Ireland. There are no plans to establish pharma-only flights, with DHL instead planning to optimize existing routes and prioritize pharma capacity, the spokesperson said. However, DHL’s long-term vision includes possibly operating dedicated aircraft on high-volume pharma lanes, the spokesperson noted. Growth driver According to global strategy consulting firm Towards Healthcare, the pharma market reached almost $1.8 trillion last year, driven by: Innovation in biologics, Personalized medicine; Digital health care; and Expanding global patient access. It is forecast at close to $1.9 trillion in 2026 and will increase to more than $3.2 trillion by 2035 at a CAGR of over 6%, according to the consultancy. Pharma is one of the most resilient and premium segments of the global airfreight market and is forecast to grow more than 6% annually. Airports and air cargo carriers are looking to capitalize on strong demand in the vertical, investing heavily in cold-chain infrastructure, internet of things tracking and digital visibility tools that allow them to meet pharma priorities of speed, reliability and compliance with GDP standards. Expertise in handling precision therapies BRU is testing the shipment of human cell and blood material used in precision therapies, including innovative treatments for cancer and rare diseases. The specialized service, which began in fall 2025, delivers that cargo to the Precision Therapy Logistics Gateway project, BioLabs Pegasus Park, a biotech cluster in Dallas. The service is part of which analyzes how precision therapies can be transported safely and quickly and identifies risks within existing logistics processes. Following the test shipments, BRU and its project partners plan to develop an internationally recognized standard for the air transport of these treatments. Establishing a specialized logistics center at the airport is also being explored, according to BRU. Cargo Facts will present four invaluable events for airfreight professionals in 2026, the next of which is <a style="color: #ff0000;" href="https://cargofactsevents.com/asia/?utm_campaign=22235567-CF%20Asia%202026&utm_source=Editorial&utm_medium=article%20event%20footer&utm_term=CF%20website&utm_content=Learn%20More&utm_source=Weekly+Update+-+Cargo+Facts&utm_campaign=fbe548904b-CF+Update_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_621baa6827-fbe548904b-40083601&mc_cid=fbe548904b&mc_eid=adbe8bb0b4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cargo Facts Asia on March 23-25. To see the agendas and register for the events, visit CargoFactsEvents.com .

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