Lufthansa Cargo’s pharma centres in Munich and Chicago have been CEIV Pharma-certified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The centres opened in summer 2020 and the approval expands the company’s CEIV Pharma-certified network to 32 stations.

The CEIV Pharma label confirms the reliable handling and storage of urgent and temperature-sensitive shipments at the facilities. Lufthansa Cargo noted this confirmation was particularly relevant for the transport of Covid-19 vaccines.

“The latest CEIV Pharma certification of our centres in Munich and Chicago confirms our high competence in handling pharmaceutical products,” said Lufthansa Cargo senior director industry development and product management Thorsten Braun.

“With the construction of the two new centres, we have been able to significantly expand our excellent pharma network. Particularly in view of the corona pandemic, these are promising investments for the future. We can offer our customers the global transport of sensitive corona vaccines via two additional certified centres.”

Both Lufthansa Cargo Pharma Hub Munich and Lufthansa Cargo Pharma Center Chicago at O’Hare Airport offer two different cooling areas (+2 to +8°C and +15 to +25°C) as well as a deep-freeze cell, with the former in almost 1,000sq m of space and the latter in 750sq m.

The Chicago centre also offers space for 54 pallets in a temperature-controlled rack storage system.