‘Pharma Zone at RGIA Cargo Terminal has seen steady growth’

SGK Kishore, CEO, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), talks about the success of the pharma zone at the GMR Hyderabad International Airport and the further measures that would be implemented which would also prove beneficial for the pharma sector, in an interaction with Usha Sharma

In 2011, the GMR Hyderabad International Airport opened India’s first airport-based temperature controlled facility. Tell us about its progress since inception.

Pharma Zone at RGIA Cargo Terminal has seen steady growth over the last few years. The CAGR from 2011 to 2014 has been nine per cent in the volumes handled. We expect this growth to continue in the coming years as more and more pharma exporters are adopting the WHO GMP and GSDP practices to meet the standards in manufacturing and distribution.

How do you manage the pharma zone and what were the challenges in doing so?

The industry took some time to understand and adopt the pharma zone facilities, but with our sustained clear marketing strategy, pharma companies realised the value add. Now the pharma zone is running successfully.

How has your facility helped domestic pharma firms?

With the strict standards being adopted by the pharma industry, it is imperative that the cold chain integrity is maintained throughout the supply chain. To achieve this objective, RGIA built a world-class dedicated pharma goods handling facility called ‘pharma zone’. Domestic pharma companies are utilising our pharma zone to handle their temperature sensitive cargo.

RGIA has tied up with Envirotainer. How will this help pharma companies?

RGIA was among the first to obtain permission to seamlessly move active-cooled ‘Cool Containers’ to and from the shipper/consignee premises, offering its customers an opportunity to put in place a truly unbroken end to end cold chain. To make this service offering more convenient for the users, RGIA has tied up with Envirotainer, the renowned Swedish maker of such ‘Cool Containers’ to use RGIA as the regional base of operations, offering a ready supply of containers for customers in the region. This unique facility at RGIA will encourage industry players to grow their facilities in the region and cater to the huge export market.

Which  services have you introduced at RGIA which may benefit pharma firms?

• RGIA boasts of Code-F (A380 type) capable, dedicated cargo apron. Built adjacent to the cargo terminal, the location of cargo apron ensures that shipments are safe from exposure to the elements by minimising the time spent on the tarmac and in shifting pharma cargo to dedicated temperature controlled area.
• Another innovation introduced recently relates to the use of environment friendly and light-weight ‘slip sheets’ in place of traditional wooden ‘skids’ to stack cargo. The re-usable slip sheets do not require any fumigation and minimises avoidable weight and volume onboard flights, resulting in direct reductions in costs and environmental impact. RGIA Cargo Terminal has invested in modern, specialised handling equipment needed to handle the shipments arriving with slip sheets in place of wooden skids, thereby delivering another competitive advantage for its users.
• RGIA is also a pioneer in providing an added alternative facility for pharma customers, to be able to ship or receive their goods at a location closer to customers, through opening of air freight stations (AFS) and connections to multiple cities in its catchment areas through Road Feeder Service (RFS). RGIA is connected with two AFSs at Nagpur and Chennai. This gives our customers multiple options and helps them improve their supply-chain efficiency thereby benefitting the trade, region and the country as a whole.
• RGIA hosts India’s first and only airport-based multi-product FTZ. The fact that the FTZ is inside the airport makes it unique which will help pharma companies bring down the transportation costs, reduce the turnaround time for movement of goods, do value add and increase exports thereby earning precious foreign exchange.

GHIAL has tie ups with several airlines. Provide an update on the same.

RGIA has the world’s major airlines flying out of RGIA providing wide-body cargo lift. The Freighter ATMs at RGIA grew by a huge 62 per cent (y-o-y) and the airport is connected to most major hubs in both East and West. GHIAL is in talks with several leading airlines for introduction of freighter capacity at RGIA. More capacity will mean that the pharma companies will have direct access to their customer base, reaching them faster thereby reducing transit costs.

How do you ensure that pharma export consignments comply with rules like 2D barcoding  before shipping?

Dept of Commerce & Industries has issued guidelines to pharma companies on the 2D barcoding of export consignments.  Further, at the airport level also, we have our own barcoding system for monitoring of cargo.

Tell us about the company’s  plans for the current fiscal.

We will continue to grow our international connectivity and expand our cargo network. Further, we are also exploring the feasibility of adding new infrastructure/ facilities within our cargo village.

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