Qatar Airways Cargo has received the Qualified Envirotainer Provider Training and Quality Program accreditation for Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Colombo, Delhi, Hyderabad, London Heathrow, Milan, Mumbai and Shanghai.

The QEP programme was launched by Envirotainer more than 10 years ago to promote the safe handling of pharmaceuticals. It recognizes air cargo carriers that demonstrate capability in properly managing active pharma shipments and that handle Envirotainer containers in compliance with Good Distribution Practice throughout their network.

“We have come a long way since introducing the QR Pharma product in 2014, and we are always seeking new ways to enhance the cool chain for the benefit of our customers and business,” said Guillaume Halleux, chief officer of cargo at Qatar Airways. “The Envirotainer’s QEP accreditation at 10 new stations in our network endorses our efficient pharma-handling processes and our capability to manage active pharma shipments, which is recognized by both forwarders and shippers. Our aim is to continue to enroll more stations into the Envirotainer accreditation programme in the coming months.”

The 10 new stations join Amsterdam, Basel, Chicago, Doha and Paris, bringing the total number of Qatar Airways Cargo stations that are QEP-accredited to 15.

“QEP provides a structured, analytical approach for assessing quality that will simplify validation plans for pharmaceutical shipments,” said Bourji Mourad, global head of partner management at Envirotainer. “The QEP accreditation serves to align practices and procedures across the cold chain and through our involvement with the various industry associations, Envirotainer ensures that QEP is compliant with the most current best practices. Congratulations to our partner, Qatar Airways Cargo, who I am sure will continue this journey with us, with more stations being accredited in the coming months.”

Qatar Airways Cargo has been using Envirotainer containers to transport pharmaceuticals since 2014. The carrier’s pharma network currently spans more than 70 stations around the world, with the latest addition of Oslo in May 2018. The Climate Control Centre, an airside transit facility inaugurated at the Doha hub in 2017, enables Qatar Airways Cargo to process an additional 285,000 tonnes of pharmaceutical shipments annually.