Dec 07, 2018: Swissport Cargo Services Montreal at Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport has received Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Pharma certification by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Swissport International AG is adding Montreal to its network of CEIV Pharma certified cargo warehouses. The global leader of airport ground services and cargo handling for the aviation industry has received the certification as the first air cargo handler in Canada.

The CEIV Pharma standards guarantee air freight customers highest quality and temperature control standards for the transport of sensitive pharmaceutical products.

“We are very pleased to receive the IATA certification for our facility in Montreal,” said Nils Knudsen, chief commercial officer of Swissport International AG.

With annual growth rates of nearly ten percent and a total turnover of some 27,000 tonnes in 2017, Montreal is a key cargo location for Swissport in Canada. The facility features temperature-controlled storage areas for pharmaceuticals with a range of +15 to +25 and +2 to +8 degrees celsius. Additionally, there is a special cooling unit for goods which require a constant temperature of -20 degrees celsius.

Swissport’s Montreal warehouse is the company's seventh CEIV Pharma certified cargo facility. It contributes toward an ever more seamless international network for pharmaceutical logistics in which airlines, airports and air cargo handling and logistics companies work hand-in-hand. In May 2018, IATA awarded Swissport at Basel’s EuroAirport with the CEIV Pharma certificate. Basel is a major international pharma hub and home to Switzerland's most advanced cargo warehouse.