American Airlines Cargo expands cold chain network
Carrier announces new CEIV Pharma certified U.S stations, underscores commitment to quality in life sciences handling.
American Airlines Cargo announced that John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) have joined its list of U.S. stations certified by IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) in pharmaceutical logistics, or CEIV Pharma.
The certifications underscore the carrier’s commitment to quality in life sciences handling as the process evaluates safety, compliance, consistency, and training at each station to achieve certification, says an official release.
"The carrier also recently achieved re-certification of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), which were first certified in 2021, and still maintains certification of Miami International Airport (MIA) and its headquarters."
In addition to these major hubs, American also operates out of more than 30 CEIV- or GDP-certified locations around the world – most notably Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), Dublin Airport (DUB), Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG), Rio de Janeiro Galeão International Airport (GIG) and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), the release added.
“The new CEIV certifications underscore our commitment to the safe and effective handling of pharmaceuticals and other life sciences commodities," says Eric Mathieu, Head of Customer Experience, American Airlines Cargo. "We are committed to meeting our customers’ needs while ensuring compliance and excellence in the services we provide, and this is an example of that. We will continue to grow our cold-chain network and focus on how we can offer customers the best products and network for temperature-sensitive shipments.”
To further support its cold-chain offering, the carrier currently has three master lease agreements for temperature-controlled containers, including the Releye® RLP and RAP active containers from Envirotainer, RKN, RAP, APS single and double units from CSafe, and the Pegasus ULD passive container from Sonoco ThermoSafe – the world’s first FAA and EASA-approved advanced passive bulk temperature-controlled ULD container for pharmaceutical use, the release added.