Worldwide Flight Services has obtained the International Air Transport Association’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics certification for its handling facilities at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

WFS provides dedicated temperature-controlled facilities at Schiphol offering both 2-8°C and 15-25°C environments.

According to WFS, it carried out a risk analysis in preparation for the CEIV audit and updated its quality management system and operating procedures to ensure full compliance with IATA’s requirements. All employees received specific training on the procedures and handling processes, while the team leading the CEIV programme for WFS also completed IATA’s own CEIV Pharma course.

“Achieving this certification confirms that we are fully compliant with the IATA CEIV Pharma standard and the strict handling procedures required by our airline customers and the pharmaceutical industry,” said Stéphane Scholving, managing director of Amsterdam at WFS. “Completing the audit process has enhanced our ability to provide safe and secure handling of temperature-controlled pharmaceutical shipments and will allow us to develop closer partnerships with our airline customers in support of their own shipper and forwarder clients, which trust them to protect the quality of their pharmaceutical shipments throughout the transportation process.”

WFS handles over 220,000 tonnes of cargo per year in Amsterdam for around 70 airline customers, and is due to begin a new contract for Lufthansa Cargo on February 1, 2019.