Cathay Pacific first Hong Kong carrier to earn CEIV pharma cert

Cathay Pacific received Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV-Pharma) certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), making it the first Hong Kong-based airline to earn the designation.

At Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), Cathay now joins a list of supply-chain services that also have earned the CEIV cert, including Cathay Pacific’s subsidiary Cathay Pacific Services Ltd., which operates the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal, and Hong Kong Airport Services, another subsidiary which provides ground handling services to airlines.

Cathay Pacific officials have said widespread certification at HKG is in the best interests of the airport community, “since they know that their supply-chain partners upstream or downstream will have the same stringent and globally recognized pharmaceutical standards.”

Practices associated with CEIV pharma certification help to reduce product losses from temperature excursions, which, in the healthcare industry alone, are estimated at around US$35 billion annually. However, the certification itself is only the beginning. Once every stakeholder in an airport community is aligned around a common set of standards for pharma handling and transport, the individual companies can then pursue joint pharma activities.