Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has signed partnerships with trucking companies to offer a fleet of temperature-controlled GDP-certified (Good Distribution Practice) Pharma trucks to support the sustainable cold chain requirements of its airline clients moving shipments from the French provinces to Paris CDG Airport for international air cargo distribution and to expand its Pharma capability.

The new Pharma trucks are positioned in Bordeaux, Mulhouse, Lyon and Strasbourg and will initially offer a weekly schedule departing every Friday evening to WFS’ €10 million Pharma Centre at Paris CDG. The trucks are capable of transporting 23 Euro pallets and offer a 2-8°C temperature environment. Services ex Lyon also provide a 15-25°C temperature option, a solution which can be expanded to the rest of France if needed. 

Laurent Bernard, WFS’ VP Cargo France, commented: “WFS has launched these services to support the development of our airline customers’ growing pharmaceutical volumes in these provinces. Having already made a significant investment in a world class Pharma facility in Paris, these new vehicles extend our temperature-controlled handling services into more regions of France and will help our customers gain a bigger share of the Pharma markets in these areas by enhancing the integrity and visibility of cold chains.”

WFS, the world’s largest air cargo handler, has been investing significantly in its Pharma handling capability in the last two years. It currently operates 14 dedicated Pharma facilities in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Cork, Dublin, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Miami, New York JFK, as well as its state-of-the-art Pharma Centre at Paris CDG. Every facility is either IATA CEIV or Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certified or compliant. WFS EMEAA also has Pharma infrastructure in Bangkok in the process of GDP certification.

The company’s Pharma handling services are supported by:

·       Dedicated facilities in the heart of major airport cargo zones to expedite handling of temperature-controlled Pharma imports and exports

·       Specialist Pharma handling teams  

·       Management of shipments requiring both +2°C to +8°C and +15°C to +25°C temperature environments, and -20°C in some stations

·       Real-time temperature monitoring

·       Temperature excursion alarms

·       Transportation Management System (TMS), Warehouse Management System (WMS) and GPS connectivity for full shipment visibility

·       Active temperature-controlled container handling

·       Temperature-controlled trucks, trailers and dollies

·       Landside and airside acceptance areas for Pharma cargo

·       CCTV monitoring and alarm systems for 24/7 security coverage