Cathay Cargo, Tower Cold Chain signs global airline partnership

Cathay Cargo has entered into a global long-term leasing agreement with Tower Cold Chain, providing its clients with a broader selection of temperature-controlled options in terms of container size and payload volume.

Tower's robust, reliable, reusable solutions are a welcome addition to Cathay Cargo's cool container pharmaceutical portfolio, making them ideal for the transportation of life-saving pharmaceutical, biotech, and life-science items.

Allowing the airline to extend its range of container choice, Cathay Pharma customers will have increased flexibility and variety when shipping high-value, temperature-sensitive products in both Euro or US pallet sizes.

This long-term deal coincides with the airline’s rebrand. Previously known as Cathay Pacific Cargo, the rebrand reinforces Cathay’s vision to become one of the world’s greatest service brands and to provide sector-specific expertise and innovative solutions to its customers.

“We are delighted to partner with Tower Cold Chain to further enhance our Cathay Pharma portfolio with more choices and innovative solutions to our customers in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and life-science industries. Tower’s advanced passive containers deliver proven physical and temperature protection, across all supply chains. This, coupled with Cathay Cargo’s vast distribution network will benefit our customers and, ultimately, their patients around the world,” said Frosti Lau, General Manager Cargo Service Delivery, Cathay Cargo.

This new partnership means customers can access and order Tower’s passive cold chain solutions 24/7 online, either via the Tower website or through Cathay’s booking service, and benefit from 120+ hour protection for products that require an internal temperature of -80°C (ultracold), -60°C (ultracold), -20°C (frozen), +5°C (refrigerated) and +20°C (controlled room temperature).

“Partnering with a world-class airline like Cathay Cargo ensures their pharmaceutical customers are supported with reliable and seamless temperature-controlled solutions,” said Niall Balfour, Chief Executive of Tower Cold Chain.

“As our first official airline agreement, this project allows a multitude of customers to lease Tower Cold Chain’s reliable containers directly from Cathay Cargo, providing a robust system for safe and seamless transportation of temperature-sensitive products to patients on time and budget. We look forward to working together to transport time-critical and temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals around the world on our global network,” Balfour added.

Available in a comprehensive variety of sizes and volumes, Tower’s containers cover internal payloads ranging from 3075 litres down to 26.4 litres – The KTEvolution, the company’s first hand-held container, ideal for small-batch, direct-to-patient shipments.

As Tower’s first global airline service agreement, the partnership marks a new watershed in the company’s rapidly growing reputation. Utilising phase-change materials (PCMs), Tower’s patented design technology guarantees safe temperature-controlled transportation without the need for electricity or human intervention, providing the agility, safety and consistency today’s pharmaceutical supply chains demand. The fully reusable containers and the option for customers to select a dry-ice-free solution for temperatures from -40°C to +40 °C also support Tower and Cathay’s commitment towards sustainability.

Tower containers are available globally via its network of strategic hubs at major airports – a key selling point for Cathay Cargo, as it enables greater proximity and availability for customers, in over 70 destinations worldwide.