Brussels Airport and Hyderabad International Airport have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening air cargo cooperation between Belgium and India, with pharmaceutical and life sciences logistics at the centre of the partnership.
The agreement will focus on knowledge sharing, cargo development and closer cooperation between the two airports’ pharmaceutical and life sciences communities. The partners also intend to identify opportunities to improve air connectivity and develop additional cargo links between Brussels and Hyderabad.
Building a Europe–India Pharma Cargo Bridge
The partnership brings together two airports with established positions in pharmaceutical and life sciences logistics.
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Brussels Airport has developed a specialised cargo ecosystem around time- and temperature-sensitive products and says it has become a key European gateway for pharmaceutical shipments. Hyderabad, meanwhile, sits at the heart of one of India’s major life sciences clusters, with capabilities spanning pharmaceutical manufacturing, vaccines and research and development.
“With this MoU, we are taking an important step to bring the ecosystems of Brussels Airport and Hyderabad International Airport closer together,” said Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport.
Feist said closer cargo flows between the two regions could support trade and economic growth, while combining Brussels’ pharmaceutical logistics expertise with Hyderabad’s life sciences ecosystem could create opportunities for cooperation and knowledge exchange.
Focus on Pharmaceutical Logistics
Brussels Airport’s pharmaceutical credentials underpin a major part of the agreement. The airport became the first airport globally where its cargo community achieved IATA CEIV Pharma certification in 2014, while its current cargo infrastructure includes approximately 45,000 square metres of temperature-controlled storage capacity.
The airport describes itself as a preferred European gateway for pharmaceutical and life sciences cargo, supported by a concentration of temperature-controlled facilities and specialised procedures across its cargo community.
Hyderabad also has dedicated pharmaceutical cargo infrastructure. Its official cargo operation includes an integrated international, pharmaceutical and domestic cargo terminal, together with a dedicated pharma zone for temperature-sensitive products. The facility is described as GSDP-WHO and EU-RA3 certified and provides end-to-end cool-chain capabilities.
The airport has also expanded its cargo infrastructure with a new terminal featuring a fully temperature-controlled pharmaceutical zone and systems designed to support pharmaceutical, perishable and other time-sensitive shipments.
Connectivity Remains a Key Objective
Despite the complementary cargo capabilities of the two gateways, there is currently no direct air connection between Brussels and Hyderabad.
The MoU therefore places particular emphasis on exploring ways to strengthen connectivity and facilitate greater cargo flows between Belgium and India. The airports said they will work together to identify opportunities for developing the route and broader cargo links.
Kadhir Kadhiravan, CEO of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd., said Hyderabad’s economic growth and strategic location position it to serve as a gateway for India’s international trade.
He said cooperation with Brussels Airport would help connect Hyderabad with the wider European cargo ecosystem and support the airport’s ambition to develop a more globally integrated cargo network.
Trade and Life Sciences Cooperation
The agreement was signed with the support of Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), the Flemish government agency responsible for promoting international trade and investment.
The two airports are expected to develop concrete initiatives in the coming months aimed at increasing cargo traffic and strengthening the pharmaceutical and life sciences value chain between the two regions.
The partnership comes as pharmaceutical supply chains increasingly depend on reliable temperature-controlled transport, specialised handling infrastructure and efficient connections between major production and consumption markets.
By combining Brussels Airport’s established pharmaceutical cargo ecosystem with Hyderabad’s expanding life sciences and pharmaceutical base, the two airports aim to create new opportunities for trade, logistics cooperation and future air cargo connectivity between Europe and India.
