Cathay Pacific Services Ltd (CPSL) earlier this month opened its newest facility at the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal, a fully temperature-controlled area of over 1,250 square metres dedicated to the handling of pharmaceutical products.

Cathay said the purpose-built Pharma Handling Centre was designed and built with unique pharma-handling requirements in mind, taking advantage of the latest technologies and designs for temperature-sensitive cargo.

The facility features real-time temperature monitoring to ensure all handling is under the controlled ambient temperature (15oC to 25oC); a temperature-controlled dock shelter; multiple charging points.

In terms of sustainability, the Pharma Handling Centre also utilizes non-ozone-depleting HFC refrigerants and has been built with 420 high-thermal insulation panels and inflatable dock shelters to be energy efficient.

Cathay said the new Pharma Handling Centre is directly connected to the Container Handling System (CHS) to ensure prompt acceptance, storage and delivery and has been built to IATA CEIV Pharma standards.

Double cold storage area, capacity

"The new facility is capable of processing 235,000 tonnes of pharmaceuticals per year, doubling the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal's existing cold storage area and capacity. It is the largest dedicated pharma handling centre of any Hong Kong-based air cargo terminal," the carrier said.

It added that the Pharma Handling Centre is one part of CPSL's "Total Cold Chain Solution" to ensure that valuable cold chain shipments remain at the optimal temperature from the moment they arrive at the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal to the moment they depart, transferring them as safely, efficiently and quickly as possible.

CPSL also has a 1,250 square-metre multi-temperature-zone cold room, a perishable-handling centre for immediate perishable handling, thermal dollies for transfers between aircraft and terminal as well as our internet of things (IoT) enabled MobiFresh solution.

"Our investment in the new Pharma Handling Centre demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement, ensuring that we can provide fast and dependable handling for the growing pharma market for many years to come," said  Mark Watts, CPSL chief operating officer.

Tom Owen, CPSL chairman, noted that the facility supports CPSL's vision to become the "world's most customer-centric air cargo terminal operator."

This also further strengthens the status of Hong Kong as a leading international aviation hub for temperature-controlled shipments, he added.

CPSL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airways, operating the latest air cargo facility in Hong Kong – Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal (CPCT).

The Terminal provides a full span of air cargo services for airlines operating at Hong Kong International Airport and is capable of handling an annual throughput of 2.7 million tonnes.