AA Cargo becomes first U.S. carrier to seek CEIV-Pharma cert

As the pharma market continues to heat up globally, American Airlines Cargo has become the first U.S.-based carrier to seek certification via IATA’s Center for Excellence and Independent Validators for Pharmaceutical Handling (CEIV-Pharma). The carrier said it is applying for the CEIV status “in an effort to promote the hard work and investments made over the last few years to enhance and evolve its cold-chain program.”

The process will begin at American’s key hubs at Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) and Miami International (MIA). AA Cargo’s certification efforts will also carry over to Philadelphia International (PHL), which has a dedicated, 25,000-square-foot cool-chain handling facility that opened last year.

Tom Grubb, American’s manager of cold chain strategy for the AA Cargo division, said demand for temperature-control services continues to grow rapidly pace due to market growth and an increase in regulatory oversight of pharmaceutical logistics.

AA Cargo’s ExpediteTC° temperature-control program was developed to handle various sensitive healthcare products, such as vaccines, gene therapies and blood products throughout the supply chain. All told, the carrier’s global cold-chain network reaches 157 cities in 45 countries worldwide.

Other carriers involved in the CEIV-Pharma program include CAL Cargo and Finnair, plus about 30 other companies in the forwarding, ground handling and cargo screening industries.

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