Air Cargo Management

Community approach needed for Covid vaccine transportation, says report

Covid-19 vaccine

For effective Covid-19 vaccine air transportation, a cargo community approach is needed, says The International Air Cargo Association and Pharma Aero.

The second report for the global air cargo and pharmaceutical industries outlines recommended practices and insights for effective Covid-19 vaccine air transportation and handling.

The report reinforces that Covid-19 vaccines are of high value and urgent time and temperature sensitive products.

As the vaccines are being transported across the globe, it is apparent that the challenge of Covid-19 vaccine global distribution demands the highest standards of speed, security, reliability and transparency, it says.

“To this end, open communication and air cargo community collaboration are paramount,” said Pharma Aero chairman, Nathan De Valck.

The report details the role and recommended practices for each stakeholder in the air cargo supply chain when addressing the four major requirements identified. Both TIACA and Pharma Aero encourage the industry to adopt a local air cargo community approach in executing these specific requirements.

Community Initiatives

Based on Project Sunrays’ second global readiness survey, it says that the group of respondents that are the most prepared for the Covid-19 vaccine distribution are those having the combination of dedicated teams and effective collaboration with vaccine manufacturers and their supply chain partners. This demonstrated the importance of air cargo community efforts.

The project welcomed the formation of local air cargo communities in several air cargo hubs, including some members of Sunrays’ Joint Task Force (JTF) and include Brussels Airport’s BRUcure Task Force, Edmonton International Airport’s CEIV Cargo Community Ready Response, Miami International Airport’s MIAVAC19 Task Force and  Singapore Changi Airport’s Changi Ready Task Force.

The communities shared their best practices and lessons learned during the set-up and implementation of their respective air cargo community initiatives.

According to the report, collectively, these four air cargo communities – as well as the other Joint Task Force members – highlight and underscore the following imperatives:

  1. Clear local air cargo community objectives
  2. Inclusive organised structure
  3. Equal importance with global collaboration
  4. Recognition that the first vaccines are just the beginning
  5. Build collaboration and trust

“It is critical for airports to plan and prepare themselves by mapping out their infrastructure and collaborating with their stakeholders to effectively manage the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines,” explained TIACA’s board of directors, Emir Pineda.

The report also features the latest information on the different Covid-19 vaccine candidates that have received approval or are in the final stage of clinical trials.

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