GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL) has announced that its cargo terminal has been certified with the World Health Organisation’s Good Storage and Distribution Practices (WHO-GSDP). Awarded by SGS India, a leader in certifications in Pharmaceutical sector, the WHO-GSDP certificate underscores Hyderabad Airport’s commitment to and compliance with Quality management standards and International requirements throughout the pharma supply chain.

The Hyderabad Airport Cargo Terminal received this certification following a six–month long rigorous evaluation process, during which a team of SGS India auditors analyzed Hyderabad Airport Cargo Terminal’s transportation, handling and storage processes, quality policies, facility management, equipment maintenance & security and assessed them against the guidelines outlined by the WHO’s GSDP framework.

Speaking on this achievement, Mr. SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL, said, “As a Company, which is committed to ensuring end-to-end product safety and its integrity, we are proud to achieve WHO-GSDP certification. Our rigorous quality standards, specialty logistics expertise and meticulous execution, enable us to meet the demands of the Pharma City and optimize the supply chain for our customers globally.”

In 2010, Hyderabad International Airport operationalized India’s first Airport-based dedicated Pharmaceutical handling facility (Pharma Zone), to handle the export of pharmaceutical products. It created a benchmark for dedicated temperature-controlled cargo handling facilities, influencing other airports in India.

Hyderabad being the Pharma hub of India, Hyderabad Airport’s 60% cargo exports are comprised of pharma products. Hyderabad Airport Pharma Cargo has witnessed CAGR of 10% for the last 5 years. Hyderabad Airport’s Cargo terminal has been taking initiatives for effective handling of Pharmaceutical Cargo in order to meet the growing requirements of Customers world over. Over the years, there has been a growing demand for temperature controlled facilities and major focus has been on establishing an end to end unbroken cold chain for handling exports and imports.

Consistently being at the forefront of taking path breaking initiatives, Hyderabad Airport Cargo has inducted best-in-class active and passive cooling storage mechanisms in partnership with Envirotainer and Agility to keep the pharma products’ integrity sacrosanct. Hyderabad Airport Cargo Terminal has also inducted a large tunnel X-Ray to facilitate the screening of Shipper Built Units.