Qatar Airways Cargo will commence its fourth Pharma Express freighter service operating from Basel, effective 8 May. The additional freighter for pharmaceuticals and healthcare products increases the total service to 10 flights each week. The cargo carrier recently increased its Pharma Express flights from both Basel and Brussels in February this year.

Ulrich Ogiermann (Chief Officer Cargo): "There is a growing demand worldwide for the safe and reliable transportation of pharmaceuticals. By increasing capacity from Basel, the hub of the Swiss pharmaceutical industry, we are able to provide increased uplift to our customers as well as a seamless cool-chain for pharmaceutical exports out of Basel through our GDP-compliant hub in Doha. Our global customers benefit from additional capacity to import medicines and healthcare products from this major pharmaceutical hub to markets where they are required swiftly, via Qatar Airways scheduled or charter services.”

Qatar Airways Cargo pioneered its Pharma Express flights in 2015, which currently operate from pharmaceutical hubs such as Brussels, Basel, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad bridging the world’s major pharmaceutical trade lanes. The routes are served by the Airbus A330 freighter aircraft, offering 65 to 68 tonnes of capacity each way. A hub operations team proactively monitors climate-control on all temperature-sensitive shipments from end-to-end, to ensure the temperature-controlled process is seamless. The carrier also engages in regular external audits by shippers and forwarders. The use of refrigerated trucks at the Doha hub ensures the seamless cool-chain.   The airline has seen a rapid rise in its pharmaceuticals volume, with a 39 % increase in temperature-controlled shipments in 2016 and 2017 over the 2015-16 result. The cargo carrier recently added Sao Paulo as its 71st destination to the expanding QR Pharma network and added the 12th Boeing 777 freighter to its fleet.