Cargolux has signed a global rental agreement with va-Q-tec for the use of its passive temperature-controlled containers.

“As a service-focused airline, we like to be proactive to emerging customer needs,” said Franco Nanna, director of global logistics services at Cargolux. “With the intuitive va-Q-tec passive solutions, Cargolux has the most appropriate and proven shipping tool for temperature-sensitive healthcare products. At the same time, it enables quick and simple rental through Cargolux’s centralized and dedicated ULD team, thus taking away a known burden from our customers. We’re proud to join forces with va-Q-tec to ensure that the cold chain is preserved throughout the transportation process. With the many stakeholders in the supply chain, va-Q-tainer is a handling-friendly piece of equipment that can pass flawlessly from one user to the next.”

The carrier launched a non-stop flight between Luxembourg and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico on October 2, 2016. According to Cargolux, the use of va-Q-tainers will be of particular benefit to this flight, which is mainly dedicated to pharmaceuticals and perishables.

“We are very happy to add va-Q-tec to our service offerings especially on our Puerto Rico cool chain flights,” said Stavros Evangelakakis, manager of global product management at Cargolux. “We are equally happy to welcome the first customers who support the new service from Puerto Rico to Europe and who will greatly benefit from our endorsement of va-Q-tec.”

va-Q-tec’s passive containers use phase-change materials that are capable of absorbing and storing thermal energy during freezing or heating so that the required temperature range is maintained during transportation.