MAB Kargo pursues CEIV-Pharma certification

Yesterday, another cargo carrier jumped on the pharmaceutical certification bandwagon – Malaysian carrier MAB Kargo, a subsidiary of MASkargo, which is pursuing the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) CEIV-Pharma certification.

As the demand for the transportation of pharma products has increased in recent years, so have the standards surrounding the careful handling of the temperature-sensitive products, causing logistics companies, forwarders and airlines to pursue certifications like CEIV-Pharma and the E.U.’s Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification.

Cool-chain handling has been on MAB Kargo’s radar for some time. The airline has partnered with container manufacturer Envirotainer – which provides cool chain containers for airlines such as Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Air China Cargo – to create MAB Kargo’s dedicated cold-chain handling service, “MH Centigrade.”

“The shipping of pharmaceutical products is the fastest growing segment in the airfreight industry,” said IATA’s Asia Pacific regional vice president, Conrad Clifford. “Given the sensitive nature of the products, it is necessary to establish global time and temperature standards and best practices to ensure the integrity of pharmaceutical products are not compromised when they are shipped by air.”

MAB Kargo said it will complete the CEIV-Pharma certification in about six months, after undergoing training and the assessment of its facilities, to be evaluated by IATA-certified auditors.