CAL Cargo Airlines receives IATA CEIV pharma certification for all operations

CAL Cargo Airlines has received International Air Transport Association (IATA) Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) certification for pharmaceutical logistics for all operations as an airline and for ground handling.

The airline and its logistics hub at Liege Airport in Belgium are now CEIV certified, which CAL says makes it the first group to implement the certification across airline and ground handling operations. Its road feeder service, operated in partnership with Jan de Rijk Logistics already had CEIV certification for pharmaceuticals.

CAL Group chief executive officer, Eyal Zagagi says: “CAL has committed to the pharma industry at the highest possible level. CAL has always been an early adopter of industry regulations, and now we’re proud to be one of the first in the industry to earn the CEIV Rharma seal.”

Eyal Zagagi, CAL Group chief executive officer

Explaining the importance of pharmaceuticals to the air cargo industry, Zagagi says: “The global pharmaceutical logistics market is valued at over $64 billion a year and new regulations and technology have made it essential to define a standard for pharma transportation, in compliance with international regulations.”

CAL temperature controlled and special products manager, Navot Hirschhorn says: “CAL’s pharma transport segment is growing rapidly and we want to attract a bigger share of the European and American pharma shippers. We are investing in our expertise and infrastructure, and completing the CEIV certification guarantees we maintain the integrity of our customer’s products.”

IATA head of cargo, Glyn Hughes says: “CAL demonstrated an extremely high level of expertise and was very much ready for the validation; the process went smoothly and quickly due to their vast experience in pharma handling.”