Airfreight industry reaches for new heights

Wan Jianjun, deputy general manager of Shenzhen airport's logistics department, said it is ready to play a crucial role in meeting the huge global demand for shipments of COVID-19 vaccines. Wang cited the airport's expertise in cold-chain medicine deliveries and a rapidly expanding network of international airlines.

After airports in Beijing and Shanghai, the Shenzhen facility obtained the International Air Transport Association's Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in pharmaceutical logistics in October－an internationally recognized certification for cold-chain medicine deliveries. The airport also has a 350-square-meter refrigeration center and three refrigerated trailers.

In late November, Ethiopian Airlines and Cainiao International, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, launched the first regular international cold chain route between China and Africa from Shenzhen airport. The route was used to transport temperature-controlled drugs, including COVID-19 vaccines, to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Medical supplies are kept at temperatures as low as－23 C along the route－cold enough for the storage conditions required for most COVID-19 vaccines throughout the distribution process.

The route is currently being used for two weekly shipments of anti-pandemic supplies. Testing of vaccine deliveries began in mid-January and such supplies are expected to be shipped in bulk from the second quarter of this year, according to Cainiao International.