Kuehne + Nagel is Vienna airport's preferred partner for pharma freight

July 5, 2019: Kuehne + Nagel will utilise Vienna International Airport's specialised service for the handling of its pharma shipments. The new 1,600 sq metre Vienna Pharma Handling Center (VPHC) provides quick and highly specialised handling of temperature-sensitive pharma products directly from aircraft to the roadways or vice versa.

“Quick and efficient cargo handling is a key success factor in international freight transport. Thanks to the new Pharma Handling Center, 23 countries can now be reached within a day and a half, and 15 countries can even be supplied within 24 hours of travel time via the Vienna pharma hub. We are delighted that Kuehne + Nagel relies on our flexibility and operational excellence,” said Julian Jäger, member of the management board (COO) of Flughafen Wien AG.

The state-of-the-art facility provides two separate temperature-controlled areas: a 1,600 sqm CRT (Controlled Room Temperature) area for the handling of pharmaceuticals at 15 - 25°C and an additional 153 sqm for the storage, build-up and break down of 2° - 8°C shipments. The VPHC exclusively handles temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products. Vienna Airport has invested about €1.8 million in the new Pharma Handling Centre.

Patrick Mair, national airfreight manager at Kuehne + Nagel Austria said, “All services such as packaging, storage, loading and unloading of temperature-controlled shipments can now be offered in an exclusive handling area. An additional benefit of the partnership is the fact that the facility is situated directly at the apron with very short tarmac distances to all aircraft positions. This enables a continuous cold chain for our shipments and seamless, temperature-controlled transportation to and from the aircraft, which was not previously available at Vienna International Airport.”