Finnair Cargo is stepping up preparations to transport Covid-19 vaccines around the world.

The company has noted that several pharmaceutical companies have stated they are in the latter stages of testing a vaccine for Covid-19. As such, the time is right to start planning the supply chain, Finnair believes, with air cargo expected to be a key player.

Finnair Cargo became the first airline in the world to receive IATA’s CEIV Pharma certificate in 2015, and the company’s head of global sales Fredrik Wildtgrube believes this track record, along with a newly-built terminal, puts Finnair in a strong position.

“We have lifted all the monitoring and control to 100 per cent in our premises,” he said.

Finnair Cargo’s head of operations Tommi Voss added: “It is a known fact that there is always a risk when transporting temperature-sensitive items, that’s why our job is to make sure we protect the product integrity in all possible ways.

“We have a dedicated pharma area to manage the arrival and build-up of temperature-controlled cargo. And our aircraft can be parked right outside the terminal which makes the process fast; temperature-sensitive items can be loaded in the plane in under 30 minutes.”

Finnair Cargo said it had partnered with all major active container manufacturers to further ensure the safe transportation of the vaccines.

Speed and product safety are expected to be the most important deciding factors when designing the supply chain for the Covid-19 vaccine, the company noted.

“We can offer the shortest flight distance to all major cities between Northern Europe and Asia, due to our location,” said Wildtgrube. “Due to our geographic location, our wide network and operational excellence, we can provide the speed required to carry the vaccines.”