Finnair Cargo is preparing to carry Covid-19 vaccines. Several pharmaceutical companies have stated they are in the latter stages of testing a vaccine for Covid-19, suggesting it is time to start planning the supply chain. It is anticipated that air cargo will be one of the main forms of transportation.
Finnair Cargo was the first airline in the world to receive IATA’s CEIV Pharma certificate in 2015. “We have a history of excellence in pharma logistics and with our new terminal, we have lifted all the monitoring and control to 100% in our premises.” says Fredrik Wildtgrube, Head of Global Sales at Finnair Cargo.
For the logistics chain, there is not yet publicly available information on the exact requirements for transporting vaccines.
“It is a known fact that there is always a risk when transporting temperature-sensitive items, that’s why our job is to make sure we protect the product integrity in all possible ways.” says Tommi Voss, Head of Operations at Finnair Cargo. “We have a dedicated pharma area to manage the arrival and build-up of temperature-controlled cargo. And our aircraft can be parked right outside the terminal which makes the process fast; temperature-sensitive items can be loaded in the plane in under 30 minutes.”
Finnair Cargo has partnered with all major active container manufacturers to further ensure the safe transportation of the vaccines.
Speed and product safety are expected to be the most important deciding factors when designing the supply chain for the Covid-19 vaccine. “We can offer the shortest flight distance to all major cities between Northern Europe and Asia, due to our location.” says Wildtgrube. “Due to our geographic location, our wide network and operational excellence, we can provide the speed required to carry the vaccines.”
