DOHA: Qatar Airways Cargo yesterday announced launch of two new Pharma Express routes from India to Doha, providing a unique and dedicated service to the pharmaceutical industry. These additional routes to the airline’s network have been added following the success of the Brussels-Basel-Doha Pharma Express route launched in January 2015.
The first new Pharma Express route will commence today and will operate from Mumbai via Ahmedabad to Doha on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The second new Pharma Express route will commence on tomorrow and will operate from Hyderabad to Doha on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Both flights will offer connectivity across Qatar Airways’ extensive global network.
“We are delighted to launch two new pharma express routes from India,” said Ulrich Ogiermann, Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo. “To date, we are the only airline offering this dedicated service to the pharmaceutical industry. The Pharma Express flights will cater to the growing pharmaceutical industry in the region. Air cargo standards for handling time and temperature-sensitive commodities such as pharmaceuticals are becoming more stringent, with stricter guidelines on temperature control.”
The QR Pharma service will also be provided on both these express routes. QR Pharma, which is an air freight service for pharmaceutical and healthcare products, offers both active and passive solutions. The active solution provides temperature-controlled containers, which are designed to maintain a constant temperature throughout the entire transportation chain. The passive solution keeps the product within a defined temperature band at all stages of the journey.
As an industry leader, Qatar Airways Cargo offers the fastest airline transfer at Doha through its Quick Ramp Transfer (QRT) solution. It is the only carrier in the Middle East to offer refrigerated or ‘reefer’ truck services for ramp transfers at its home hub. Sensitive commodities are collected from and delivered directly to the aircraft by specialised temperature-controlled vehicles to ensure that the cool chain process is seamless, thereby eliminating risk to temperature exposure.
The Indian pharmaceuticals market is the world’s third largest in terms of volume and 13th largest in terms of value, according to a report by Equitymaster. The Indian subcontinent is a very important market for air freight. With 27 freighter frequencies per week to India, serving seven destinations as well as belly-hold cargo capacity to over 10 destinations in India, Qatar Airways Cargo’s presence in India is expanding to meet this growing demand.
Qatar Airways Cargo recently announced that it is now the third largest international cargo airline in the world, according to the latest IATA international FTK figures.
The Peninsula
