Project purpose
Globally, the major export markets for life sciences are India, Europe and North America, particularly for finished therapeutic products. A significant volume of critical pharmaceutical products are also transported by air to continents such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and South America, which heavily rely on imports for medical goods that are not produced locally. For many countries, treatment is crucial for preventing infectious diseases with high deformity or mortality rates particularly in children, expectant mothers and vulnerable population.
It is a well-known fact that African and South American countries (amongst others) are key recipients of funded aid, relief & immunization programs that entail large scale transport of vaccines and therapies that are time & temperature sensitive.
Conversely, air cargo capacity is optimized to transport perishable commodities for consumption in the rest of the world, driven by the demand for diverse fresh food and farmed products. Although environmental concerns frequently dominate discussions about these cargo flows and consumption patterns, the trade directly contributes to economic growth in export regions, while helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by stimulating large-scale agricultural activity.
Based on both products’ value chain analysis, it will give valuable information to airlines, freight forwarders and airports. It will generate sufficient evidence to support further investments needed and strategic choices to be made in these combined trade lanes.
Project objective(s)
The purpose of this project is to analyze two-way air cargo flows comprehensively, providing a detailed report on their global economic contribution and their alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to healthcare access, fresh food and farmed products availability.
It will also address the unique challenges of transporting these goods, including critical time and temperature requirements for safe, efficient delivery.
Work Package 1: Market Research
A comprehensive analysis of historical and current market trends and developments in both Pharmaceutical (PIL) and Perishable (PER) airfreight segments from emerging markets and especially countries depending on high-volume PIL import and PER export. Focus on these three regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and South America. The in-depth analysis will highlight population growth in these regions in relation to healthcare, food and farming product needs. This includes a comparison of regional pharmaceutical decentralized production versus centralized production, based on current global trends such as increased urbanization and healthcare accessibility. The economic value will be analyzed for these commodities as well as the impact of consumer behavior. The sustainability impact (people, planet, profit) will be part of the research.
Work Package 2: Needs Assessment
An assessment will be conducted amongst various stakeholders: perishable producers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, airlines, freight forwarders, airports, market experts, global fund programs and regulators (UNICEF, GAVI, WHO, IATA, etc.). Based on the results, the potential for a joint food and farm-for-health initiative/program will be explored.
Work Package 3: Use Cases
Documentation of specific case studies of both PIL and PER commodities to map out standard requirements, within the membership of Pharma.Aero, CCA and HLA.
Work Package 4: Results Mapping
Work Package 5: Dissemination
A detailed technical report will be shared with Pharma.Aero, CCA and HLA members. The project team will host a Webinar afterwards (with external and internal participants), followed by a white paper for the entire industry.
Work Package 6: Training
The findings and the conclusions of WP5 will be the basis of a framework of a half-day training program dedicated to stakeholders (members and non-members). Expert trainers will be invited based on the curriculum of the training.
Project status and key-takeaways
The project runs from December 2024 to September 2025.
Market Research – Ongoing
Project support and collaboration
🔹Project Governance: Pharma.Aero, TIACA
🔹Pharma.Aero Board liaison: Changi Airport Group
🔹Project leads: Qatar Airways
🔹Project partners: Cold Chain Association (CCA), Humanitarian Logistics Association (HLA)
🔹Project manager and expert team: Frank Van Gelder, Sara Van Lerberghe