Frankfurt Airport currently has around 12,000 square meters of temperature-controlled handling capacity with direct apron access. A good two thirds of this is located in the ultra-modern Lufthansa Cargo Pharma Hub. An additional 2,000 square meters are about to be put into operation on the rest of the airport site. These areas comply with international and European requirements. For example, Fraport has met the requirements of the IATA airline association's CEIV Pharma certificate since 2018, as have eleven other service companies operating in Frankfurt. There are also freight forwarders and airlines that comply with the EU GDP standard. This means that more than 75 percent of transport routes at the airport are certified. In addition, Fraport currently uses 20 ultra-modern thermal transporters to ensure the necessary temperature of goods on the apron.

"Frankfurt Airport offers the ideal infrastructural conditions for handling pharmaceutical goods. We are closely monitoring the current research for a coronavirus vaccine. When the time comes, we will work with our partners to provide the best possible support in the distribution of vaccines and medicines," says Max Philipp Conrady, Head of Central Cargo Infrastructure at Fraport. "When handling urgently needed protective equipment and, in some cases, vital pharmaceutical goods at the beginning of the year, we already showed that we as a freight community are making an essential contribution to supplying the population."

Lufthansa Cargo is also ideally prepared to fly a potential coronavirus vaccine all over the world. With far-reaching destinations and 31 pharmaceutical stations worldwide, all of which are to be CEIV Pharma-certified by the end of 2021, the cargo airline has an excellent network. This means that temperature-sensitive goods such as vaccines or medicines can be delivered to their destination as quickly as possible. "The last few months have clearly shown us how important well-functioning supply chains are, especially in times of crisis. Even when it comes to transporting a vaccine against the coronavirus, Lufthansa Cargo will do everything it can to enable rapid distribution by air," says Jörg Bodenröder, Head of Handling Specials at Lufthansa Cargo. As one of the first airfreight carriers to focus on the transportation of temperature-sensitive goods, Lufthansa Cargo can draw on many years of experience in the field of pharmaceutical transport. With almost all transport options available on the market, customers also have a broad product portfolio at their disposal, in which almost all requirements can be taken into account.