AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has carried a record number of va-Q-tainers XLx containers onboard a single flight for its European customer BIOTECH & PHARMA LOGISTICS (BPL).

Weighing around 15tn in total, the 19 high-performance passive containers were delivered to Frankfurt ready to load and go onboard one of AirBridgeCargo’s Boeing 747-8F services to their final destination in Moscow.

ABC’s dedicated pharma team of highly-skilled and qualified specialists monitored each step of the transportation process, starting from priority booking for all 19 containers through to overseeing the loading procedures on both the freighter’s lower and main decks, guaranteeing the exact temperature range required for the delivery, as well as a seamless offloading at ABC’s cargo hub at Moscow Sheremetyevo airport.

Additional support was provided by ABC’s control tower specialists, who managed real-time, round-the-clock monitoring of the flight, including the temperature of the cargo to ensure no deviation during transportation. All preliminary workflow, ground handling operations, and loading procedures for this complex shipment were accomplished with the assistance of abc Pharma specialists in Europe.

Global director of Pharma for AirBridgeCargo Airlines Fedor Novikov said: “This is the first time AirBridgeCargo has provided a logistics solution for so many passive containers on a single flight and we are delighted that the delivery was achieved so smoothly, seamlessly, and, most importantly, in compliance with our customer’s expectations and requirements.

“This is another example of our pharma team’s expertise and accumulated experience in international pharma logistics. We are constantly reviewing our services to align them with the expectations of our customers and the wider pharma market in order to improve our operations, such as introducing the most advanced technologies to further enhance the quality of our services as well as each customer’s experience of working with us.”

Global partner manager at va-Q-tec Will Staddon added: “We are delighted to have been able to meet the needs of two key customers and are grateful to ABC for their skilled and seamless handling of this project.

“Without our partners, it would not be possible to deliver such volumes at short notice and with such high quality. ABC’s extensive fleet and network offer us great opportunities into the Russian market and beyond. Using modern 747-8F aircraft, this project was a prime example of what va-Q-tec and ABC are capable of.”

ABC is continuing to enhance its abc Pharma product offering, which saw volumes rise by 80% year-on-year in Q1 2018. The airline has created a multifaceted approach towards the development and enhancement of its abc Pharma product, embracing alignment of internal procedures and processes, and the reinforcement of its international sales and operations teams, as well as the implementation of digital solutions to make the pharma transportation process as easy, transparent, and understandable as possible for customers.

ABC anticipated future growth and success, especially for the delivery of pharmaceutical products, is based on openness, cooperation and collaboration on all levels. This includes working with partners with the same corporate focus and commitment to data-sharing among all supply chain stakeholders.