Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo have both earned the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) corporate pharma credential, confirming their commitment to meeting pharmaceutical manufacturers’ requirements for transporting temperature-controlled and time-sensitive products such as vaccines.
With this certification, Atlas Air and Polar are now even better positioned to provide the best form of safe transportation for their valued pharma and medical customers all over the world, due to the assurance that CEIV Pharma certification provides and which they have finally acheived.
CEIV Pharma is an IATA quality certification programme that has established high standards for safe pharmaceutical air transport around the world to ensure product integrity. Operators who earn the CEIV Pharma credential must go through a rigorous process that verifies their experience, education, and adherence to these high standards.
Both cargo carriers pursued this certification by implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling temperature-sensitive products. The companies also completed a multistep process that included an independent audit to train ground and warehouse personnel, as well as vendors, in these new procedures.
“Even as the COVID-19 pandemic has added unrelenting operational complexities to our business, our employees around the world are dedicated to meeting and exceeding our customers’ needs in transporting sensitive medical and pharmaceutical products,” said Michael T Steen, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Atlas Air Worldwide. “This CEIV Pharma certification reinforces the flexibility and reliability of our outstanding team, unrivalled portfolio of assets and scale of our global network.”
Lars Winkelbauer, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Polar Air Cargo said, “Polar’s CEIV Pharma certification affirms the company’s long-standing track record for successfully transporting temperature-sensitive goods and other perishable commodities.”
“I am immensely proud of the Polar team for achieving this industry-leading certification, underscoring our ability to maintain end-to-end temperature-controlled shipments across our network.”
Winkelbauer added, “With the increase in demand for cold-chain transportation tied to vaccines and the equipment needed for safe distribution, our customers can continue to rely on Polar’s expertise around the world.”
