MAB Kargo has signed an agreement with the International Air Transport Association to begin the process of obtaining the association’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics certification.

“We see great potential in pursuing the certification,” said Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, acting chief executive officer of MAB Kargo. “Moving temperature-sensitive, high-value pharmaceutical cargo can be challenging due to the multiple requirements and processes needed to cater for such shipments. Moving forward, with MAB Kargo’s dedicated cold chain handling service which is MH Centigrade that is supplemented by a cargo partner, Envirotainer, MAB Kargo will be well positioned to be the leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology cargo hub in Southeast Asia. Through the IATA CEIV Pharma certification programme, MAB Kargo and its partners will go one step further by focusing on high-quality service with an emphasis on excellence and safety.”

As part of the certification programme, MAK Kargo’s staff will have to undergo training and the company’s facilities and processes will be assessed by independent, IATA-certified auditors to ensure that global requirements are complied with.

The certification process is expected to take about six months to complete.

“The shipping of pharmaceutical products is the fastest-growing segment in the air freight industry,” said Conrad Clifford [right in photo], regional vice president of Asia Pacific at IATA. “Given the sensitive nature of the products, it is necessary to establish global time and temperature standards and best practices to ensure the integrity of pharmaceutical products is not compromised when they are shipped by air. Today’s signing is a step in the right direction to ensure MAB Kargo is well placed to serve this important segment of the air cargo industry, and to give pharmaceutical companies the confidence that the cold chain integrity of their products will be maintained.”

MAB Kargo will be the first air cargo carrier and terminal operator in Malaysia to obtain the CEIV Pharma certification.