Sonoco ThermoSafe has announced a rapid expansion of its Pegasus ULD fleet, a passive aircraft-certified temperature-controlled container accessible via a direct lease or from a global network of partner airlines and freight forwarders. The healthcare packaging specialist said that pharmaceutical companies and their logistics providers face choices every day on how best to transport high-value healthcare shipments efficiently and cost-effectively around the globe.
It added that choosing the right airline and temperature-controlled packaging solutions can make all the difference to on-time and on-temperature shipments, which ultimately needs to be safe for patients.
Sonoco ThermoSafe said that the Pegasus ULD is “in a class of its own as the only advanced passive aircraft certified temperature-controlled container (TCC)”.
The Pegasus container is classified as aircraft equipment and locks into the aircraft’s lower deck cargo hold without the need of placing the container onto a PMC (aircraft pallet) nor the need to use straps and nets to secure it onto the PMC prior to loading onto aircraft. Without these extra steps, Pegasus ULD shipments can speed through airports at the lowest possible cost, avoiding delays at customs and ground handling agents.
Stations within Sonoco’s Global Service Network include partnerships with ACL Airshop, Unilode Aviation Solutions, and Focus WFS where the Pegasus ULD fleet is in stock and available for release.
Each station is an FAA 145 facility capable of performing the required ULD Maintenance, Repair, and Operation (MRO) as per regulatory requirements for flight safety. Each station also performs ground services to include the preconditioning of PCM Bottles (Phase Change Material) in the temperature-controlled chambers available on site.
The list of airlines who have approved the Pegasus ULD for uplift on their aircraft is growing, said Sonoco, and includes American, Asiana, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Korean Air, LATAM, Qatar Airways, Singapore, Swiss, Turkish and United.
Pharmaceutical companies can also contact their logistics providers for support on Pegasus ULD containers and book airfreight via any of these airlines.
With sustainability a key consideration for pharmaceutical manufacturers across their business and operations, the Pegasus ULD offers a reusable packaging solution that drastically cuts landfill, moving away from single-use pallet packaging.
The Pegasus ULD is the first FAA and EASA approved advanced passive bulk temperature-controlled container offered under a leasing program.
It has integrated FAA-approved real-time, cloud-based data featuring GPS location, payload and ambient temperatures, light and other environmental factors.
Said Bourji Mourad, who heads Logistics and Partner Management for Sonoco ThermoSafe’s Bulk Rental Group: “After working in the air cargo temperature management solutions and cold chain industry for decades, I can honestly say that the Pegasus ULD is one of the most customer- and environmental-friendly technology on the market for transporting time and temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals. “We are delighted to announce our growing global service network, partner airlines, and forwarding partners.”
The Pegasus ULD will be on show at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in London, and on tour in Europe and US where air freight providers and pharmaceutical companies can see the new container technology up close.
