Worldwide Flight Services’ (WFS) stations in Madrid and Barcelona have obtained Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certifications, boosting its pharmaceutical handling facilities at major airports around the world. 

In a statement, it said among WFS’ 14 dedicated pharma facilities in Europe, USA, South Africa and Thailand, several have already been awarded GDP certification (Cape Town, Copenhagen, Cork, Dublin, Johannesburg, London and Paris CDG), or are in the process of obtaining this certification (Amsterdam, Bangkok, Brussels and Frankfurt).

A number of these stations, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid and Paris CDG, also have IATA CEIV Pharma certifications. 

WFS’ said its pharma handling teams at Madrid and Barcelona airports use dedicated docks and maneuvering areas for the safe loading and unloading of temperature-sensitive shipments, supported by specialised trucks, trailers and dollies.

Located in the heart of each airport’s cargo areas, the WFS stations in Barcelona and Madrid have approximately 640m2 and 450m2 of landside and airside acceptance capability respectively, with the latest technology for warehouse management, real-time temperature monitoring, shipment tracking, CCTV monitoring and security alarms.

The two stations currently handle over 8,600 tonnes of temperature-controlled pharma shipments a year for six main airline customers, for products needing to be stored between +2°C to +8°C and +15°C to +25°C.

Both stations are playing an important role in the handling and distribution of COVID vaccines for the Spanish population. 

WFS noted its significant investment in a global network of temperature-controlled pharma handling facilities over the past three years which it said have proved all the more relevant since the start of the Covid pandemic.  

In October last year, WFS reinforced its COVID response with the launch of Project Coldstream, an internal taskforce to coordinate the group’s participation in the global air transport of billions of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.