Bangkok Flight Services (BFS), the joint venture between Bangkok Airways and Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a member of the SATS Group, has been awarded Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification for its dedicated pharma handling facility at Bangkok International Airport.

This award takes the number of GDP or IATA CEIV Pharma certified facilities available to WFS customers globally to 27.

A further two locations in North America are also aiming for certification in Q2 and Q3 2024.

In addition to Bangkok, WFS, and other subsidiaries of the SATS Group, now operate certified pharma handling facilities in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bangalore, Beijing PEK and PKX, Brussels, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dallas Fort Worth, Dammam, Dublin, Frankfurt, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London LHR and LGW, Madrid, Miami, Mumbai, Muscat, New York JFK, Paris CDG, and Philadelphia.

Stewart Sinclair, managing director of BFS, said: “BFS, WFS and SATS have a shared commitment to ensuring the safe and secure handling of temperature-controlled, life-enhancing pharma cargoes.

“This is evident by our investments in best-in-class pharma centres in Europe, Scandinavia, North America, the Middle East, India and Asia, and more certified facilities will join this network in 2024.

“These operations are vital to maintaining the integrity and compliance of pharma shipments as well as to supporting premium and special cargo products offered by our customers.”

BFS received its GDP certification from independent audit body Escem/TüV Rheinland following a two-day assessment of the pharma facility by Global Pharma Solutions LLC.

This confirms the operation’s compliance with EC Guidelines on GDP of medicinal products for human use, and the World Health Organization’s WHO TRS 1025 – Annex 7 for Good Storage & Distribution Practices for medical products.

Located inside the main BFS cargo terminal, the pharma facility consists of three zones offering some 120 sqm of capacity, including over 215 storage positions within controlled temperature ranges of 15-25°C and 2-8°C.

Charging stations for ‘active’ cargo containers used for the transportation of temperature-controlled pharma products are also installed at the facility.

The facility is operated by a specially trained team and protected by comprehensive security measures.

During 2024 BFS is investing to increase the capacity of its pharma storage to support growing customer volumes.

Over 20 of the 80 airlines handled by BFS in Bangkok now regularly ship pharma cargoes.

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