Swissport Liège receives IATA’s CEIV pharma certification

Swissport International Ltd., provider of ground and cargo handling services to the aviation industry, has announced that Swissport Cargo at Liège Airport in Belgium has successfully completed the validation process for IATA's "Center of Excellence for Independent Validators" (CEIV) on Pharmaceutical Logistics.

Pharmaceuticals (e.g. vaccines, biotech medicines) are among the most delicate products transported as air cargo, and therefore, it is essential to ensure their transport follows a global standard and strict temperature control guidelines.

In 2014, IATA established the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) on Pharmaceutical Logistics in close cooperation with the pharmaceutical industry, regulators and industry stakeholders. Swissport Cargo Liège is, after Swissport Cargo Brussels, the second Swissport Cargo station to successfully complete the certification process. The certification aims at helping airlines, handlers and forwarders improve their share of the $60 billion a year pharmaceutical logistics market. The program, which includes implementation planning, on-site assessment, training and validation, marks a new standard in the pharmaceutical logistics industry and raises the benchmark for compliance with industry regulation.

The pharmaceutical logistics market is the most regulated and fragile cargo business in the world. As a consequence, the CEIV certification program comprises numerous modules focusing on equipment requirements, storage facilities, pharmaceutical handling procedures and internal pharmaceutical handling know-how. By being compliant with these modules and the strict requirements of IATA's new industry standard, Swissport Liege is in a position to meet the high standards set by the pharmaceutical industry and legislators globally.

Patrick Minsart, Managing Director Swissport Cargo Services Belgium: "We are proud that Swissport Cargo Liege has successfully completed IATA's CEIV pharma certification process, as this is another important milestone to continue putting Liège Airport on the map as a major logistics platform for the pharmaceutical industry. We thank Liège Airport for its great cooperation and support for enabling Swissport Cargo in Liège to get this globally recognized and most important certification."