Brussels has become the first of Worldwide Flight Services’ (WFS) European cargo stations to achieve IATA CEIV Pharma certification.

The world’s largest cargo handler is in the process of certification for either Good Distribution Practice (GDP) or IATA CEIV Pharma at major locations across its network, which also includes building new facilities at stations including Paris, Milan and Copenhagen.

Pharma volumes handled by WFS in Brussels rose by some 170% in 2016 and will soar to a new high in 2017. Volumes in the first 10 months of the year have already exceeded three million kilos.

Marc Claesen, Regional Vice President of WFS in Belgium, said: “We are proud to be the first WFS station in Europe with CEIV accreditation and to be supporting our customers and the efforts of Brussels Airport to create the world’s first CEIV-certified airport community.”

To manage its customers’ growing pharma volumes, WFS has installed two new dedicated pharma cells in its main warehouse in Brussels to help maintain the integrity of pharma products within 15-25°C and 2-8°C temperature-controlled environments. As part of its successful CEIV certification programme, it has also adopted specific pharma handling procedures and provided training for its staff working in the upgraded facility.

John Batten, WFS’ EVP Cargo Europe Middle East Africa & Asia, added: “We are continuing to listen to the needs of our airline customers and to support them with new and enhanced facilities where we see opportunities that offer growth potential for them and for WFS. Delivering further improvements to our pharma handling services at major stations is one of our key areas of focus and this will continue in 2018 with investments and GDP or CEIV certifications at more of our locations with high pharma volumes.”