Pharma.Aero, IATA sign MoU to promote CEIV-Pharma standards

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pharma.Aero, an initiative advocating for pharmaceutical shipping standards based on IATA’s CEIV-Pharma certification.

The agreement “formalizes an ongoing collaboration between the two organizations with the aim of better assisting the industry in improving the quality of services for pharmaceutical handling and transport in the air cargo industry worldwide,” said IATA’s global head of cargo Glyn Hughes.

Pharma.Aero was initially formed between Brussels Airport (BRU) and Miami International Airport (MIA) in 2016 and has since grown to include 24 total companies, including other airports, forwarders, airlines and technology providers.

Under the new MoU, “Pharma.Aero members focus on creating content and become a reference to the different pharmaceutical companies and operators within air freight life science,” said Frank Van Gelder, Pharma.Aero’s secretary general.

In partnership with IATA, Pharma.Aero will be able to increase the scale of its initiatives, which include forming working groups to address issues in the pharmaceutical cool-chain, launch programs connecting airport communities to pharma manufacturers and other, similar efforts.