Swissport’s Frankfurt outpost earns CEIV Pharma certification

Swissport Cargo Services Frankfurt is the latest outpost to earn IATA’s CEIV-Pharma certification, following “investments into infrastructure, equipment and training.” The global ground handler – which also recently acquired Aerocare, the largest ground handler in Australia and New Zealand – said that the certification followed development of a dedicated product line for the handling of life-science and healthcare shipments.

Ground handling has remained one of the least-controlled links in pharmaceutical supply chains, with shippers often complaining that their pallets were languishing on runways, subjecting the sensitive contents to temperature excursions. But with Swissport Cargo’s Frankfurt facility earning CEIV-Pharma certification, those weak links are being eliminated.

“Regarding pharma shipments, we fully realize that there are always humans involved, who need a constant flow of safely delivered medical products,” said Philip Roodenburg, station manager at Swissport Cargo Services Frankfurt. “Hence, it is of utmost importance to have a solid process, training and a state-of-the-art facility in place.”

Roodenburg said that earning the certification was challenging, but noted that, “our business is continuously changing and it’s our duty to keep up with these changes.” He added that, “Next to further developing our pharma-handling capabilities, we are also constantly improving our processes and seeking for innovations that can make the difference in future cargo handling.”

Swissport continues to grow its global footprint, announcing this week that it was expanding into the Australasian market with the acquisition of Aerocare, with 36 airports and more than 160,000 flights under its auspices.

The Aerocare acquisition is indicative of the types of strategic investments that Swissport and HNA will continue to seek and complete, in order to grow our global network of businesses,” said Adam Tan, HNA Group CEO and Chair of Swissport.