Cargolux to make Va-Q-tec containers available throughout network

Avoiding temperature excursions while in-flight is one thing, but maintaining consistent temperatures point-to-point, as cargo moves through the supply chain, is quite another. Today Cargolux announced that it will add an extra layer of assurance to customers shipping temperature-sensitive cargo, with the introduction of Va-Q-tec ULDs.

In the past, many shippers sought out such containers directly from the manufacturer, or other third-party ULD management companies. Cargolux is moving one step further, and making the Va-Q-tec containers available for rent from its centralized and dedicated ULD network. Once rented, the containers can be shipped one-way to any of the more than 90 destinations Cargolux serves.

With Va-Q-tec’s passive containers, gone are the days of using dry-ice to keep cargo cool. The containers utilize phase change materials, which absorb and store thermal energy during the freezing (or heating process). When combined with vacuum-insulated panels, the ULD is able to hold temperatures for the duration of transportation, even in ambient conditions.

“As a service-focused airline, we like to be proactive to emerging customer needs,” says Franco Nanna, Cargolux director global logistics services. Dominic Hyde, managing director of Va-Q-tec Limited said of the new arrangement, “The partnership with Cargolux gives our customers what they have been asking for: the possibility to book flight and the Va-Q-tainer Serviced Rental in one go to over 90 Cargolux destinations within a one-way rental service.”