The CAL Group announced today that it has completed IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV) certification program.

Validating its airline operations as well as its logistics hub at Liege Airport, Belgium, the Tel Aviv-based CAL is the first group to implement the certification across both airline and ground handling operations.

The process assessed the group’s cool chain process and facilities, verified compliance with international standards, and trained personnel involved in pharma handling.

CAL’s broader scope of operations, including its road feeder services and other ground handlers, are also validated by CEIV, providing an end-to-end certified pharmaceuticals logistics capability.

The group’s CEIV Pharma certification covers the group’s airline and logistics hub at Liege Airport, including facilities, equipment, operations and staff.  The group’s road feeder services are offered through partnership with Jan de Rijk, already CEIV certified for pharma products.

“CAL has committed to the pharma industry at the highest possible level,” said Eyal Zagagi, CEO of the CAL Group. “CAL has always been an early adopter of industry regulations, and now we’re proud to be one of the first in the industry to earn the CEIV Pharma seal.”

The global pharmaceuticals logistics market is valued at over $64 billion a year and new regulations and technology have made it essential to define a standard for pharma transportation, in compliance with international regulations, Zagagi noted.  “CEIV will define a single standard across the entire pharma logistics chain,” he added.

“CAL’s pharma transport segment is growing rapidly and we want to attract a bigger share of the European and American pharma shippers,” said Navot Hirschhorn, CAL’s temperature controlled and special products manager. “We are investing in our expertise and infrastructure, and completing the CEIV certification guarantees we maintain the integrity of our customer’s products.”

“The CEIV pharma program was developed as a new initiative by IATA to help foster air cargo’s competitiveness in this growing segment”, said Glyn Hughes, IATA head of cargo. “CEIV Pharma assesses and validates cool-chain processes and provides training to guarantee that industry stakeholders comply with all applicable standards and regulatory requirements. CAL demonstrated an extremely high level of expertise and was very much ready for the validation.”