KQ Cargo ready for Covid-19 vaccine logistics through its new pharma facility

Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ) through its cargo arm KQ Cargo, has invested in an ultra-modern pharma facility located at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), to meet the demand of pharmaceutical products globally and support the need of maintaining the product integrity throughout the supply chain.

KQ pharma facility aims to bring Africa together, to have an ecosystem of partners that go beyond freight capabilities but also ensures a sustainable impactful approach to reducing the disease burden in Africa. The aim is to work with partners to build skillsets for the future by enabling stakeholder partnership and engagements with researchers, scientists, communities and governments.

According to Dick Murianki, KQ cargo director KQ Cargo, the immediate focus is to help with the logistics of the Covid-19 vaccine and in the long term KQ aims to use the ultra-modern pharma facility to help in reducing the disease burden in Africa by looking at its routes network and finding ways to create access to treatment options in Africa.“KQ Cargo has been laying the groundwork and working closely with pharmaceutical and medical customers to be ready to safely and effectively support their vaccines transportation needs to move efficiently once the vaccine is approved by the regulators,” says Murianki.

“The investment in the ultra-modern pharma facility, though coinciding with Covid-19 pandemic, is to further meet the demand of pharmaceutical products globally in preparation for the humongous task of transporting medicines, vaccines, blood samples and temperature-sensitive cargo by having an end-to-end cold chain logistics solutions,” he adds.

Since the lockdown in March 2020, Kenya Airways and its cargo arm KQ Cargo, have worked relentlessly to uplift and transport vital goods and medical supplies, uplifting over 6,000 tonnes of much-needed medical equipment to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya has been a distribution and logistics hub in Africa and has been rated as the second fastest growing airport in the world for cargo by ACI in 2019.

KQ has tied up with global leaders in cold chain solutions to offer active and passive packaging with dedicated equipment to perform seamless cold chain operations. The airline has the capability to transport extremely sensitive drugs and vaccines in controlled temperatures ranging from -40°C to +25°C.