Pharma container manufacturer SkyCell has partnered with Virgin Atlantic for its vaccine and pharma shipments.
Virgin Atlantic will use SkyCell containers covering the full range of biologics transit temperature requirements: -80°C, -25°C to -15°C, +2°C to +8°C, and up to +15°C to + 25°C.
The hybrid containers – which have an average runtime of 202 hours – have a failure rate of less than 0.1%. This is compared to an industry standard failure rate of up to 12%, which cost the pharma industry $34.1bn in 2019 alone.
SkyCell’s containers have a number of additional features, including shock absorbent feet to reduce vibrations and double doors system to eliminate potential humidity damage to the cargo. These containers also save large amounts of CO2, thanks to their lightweight, environmentally friendly material, design and efficiency.
Virgin Atlantic will use its Pharma Secure service, which was introduced for all urgent, valuable, and vulnerable pharmaceutical and life sciences shipments last year.
Meeting the rising needs for pharmaceutical and life science products, Virgin Atlantic together with SkyCell offers end-to-end compliance and assurance of vaccines and other vital medicines.
Dominic Kennedy, Managing Director at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, commented: “Our partnership with SkyCell takes our already well-established pharmaceutical offering to the next level. We want to offer our customers peace of mind so they can book confidently with us, knowing their precious cargo will arrive safely, securely, and on time.
“The partnership will allow our customers to lease self-charging, temperature-controlled containers to boost the safety and sustainability of their shipments. We look forward to working together to transport crucial vaccines and pharmaceutical products around the world on our global network.”
Chiara Venuti, Head of Airline Partnerships of SkyCell, added: “It’s clear that collaboration is the key to improving the supply chain and ensuring more life-saving pharmaceuticals make it to their destination in a viable state.
“Partnering with the innovative airline Virgin Atlantic, provides the resources to support pharma manufacturers, improving the efficiency and the safety of their supply chain.”
